Nigeria and Belgium are ready to intensify their relationship in the development of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI).
Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, disclosed this when he received the Ambassador of Belgium to Nigeria, Amb. Daniel Bertrand, in his office on Friday in Abuja.
The Minister briefed the Belgian envoy on the role of his ministry in spearheading the transformation of Nigeria’s economy to become knowledge and innovation based.
He also emphasized the efforts of the Federal Government in improving Nigeria’s manufacturing capacity and the agricultural value chain.
Onu added that the Federal Government was working hard to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty by the turn of the decade.
Stating that with more investment in STI, the per capita income and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Nigeria would improve.
The Minister assured the envoy that Nigeria was a prime destination for investment, while expressing optimism on getting interested Belgian investors.
In response, the Belgian envoy said that Nigeria was Africa’s prime destination for investments as it had the largest economy in Africa as well as a regional leader in Science and technology.
Daniel also noted that Nigeria had a lot of business potential, as business people from his country were interested in investing in Nigeria.