Nigeria, Belgium to strengthen collaboration on science, technology

Nigeria and Belgium are set to deepen their relationship for mutual benefits in the development of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI).

Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, the Minister of Science and Technology, 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 highlighted the efforts of the Federal Government in improving Nigeria’s manufacturing capacity and the agricultural value chain.
Onu said that the Federal Government was working hard to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty by the turn of the decade.

He also said 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.
Responding, 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 said that Nigeria had a lot of business potential, as business people from his country were interested in investing in Nigeria. (NAN)