Tag: Agriculture

Seychelles and Burundi set to reinforce bilateral ties with the accreditation of Ambassador Bukuru

28 April 2023 | Foreign Affairs

The new Ambassador of the Republic of Burundi to the Republic of Seychelles, H.E. Mr. Alexis Bukuru, presented his credential to President Wavel Ramkalawan during an accreditation ceremony held yesterday morning at State House.

The President congratulated him as he takes on this new responsibility and expressed his wish that during Ambassador Bukuru’s tenure, diplomatic relations between Seychelles and Burundi will be further reinforced.

“In welcoming you to your new position, I would like to express my congratulations to you on your appointment to this prestigious position. Your accreditation today, makes a new beginning for our two countries to can work together to consolidate our cooperation and to see how we can support each other in areas of mutual interests,” said President Ramkalawan.

In this context, discussions between the Head of State and Ambassador Bukuru were based on areas where Seychelles and Burundi can further explore the potential of cooperation, including in Agriculture, investment, tourism, maritime, and education. Both President Ramkalawan and Ambassador Bukuru reciprocated the interest to have a General Cooperation Agreement that will enhance their bilateral relations.

During his visit to State House, High Commissioner Kasosa also held discussions with the Vice-President, Mr. Ahmed Afif.

Seychelles and Burundi established diplomatic relations on 15^th July 2002. H.E. Ambassador Alexis Bukuru will be based in Pretoria, South Africa.

Speaking to the local media following the accreditation ceremony, he further underlined the importance for his country and Seychelles to have a General Cooperation Agreement where he spoke about an array of potential cooperation that he wish to materialise during his mandate.

Also present yesterday morning was the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism, Mr. Sylvestre Radegonde, the Principal Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Vivienne Fock-Tave, Director General Bilateral Affairs Division, Department of Foreign Affairs, Ms. Lindy Ernesta, the Principal Counsellor, Bilateral Affairs Division, Foreign Affairs Department, Mrs. Johnette Stephen and Third Secretary, Bilateral Affairs Division, Foreign Affairs Department, Ms. Ingrid Labrosse.

SOURCE

State House News

April 28, 2023
Annual Investment Meeting tackles global market challenges, future investment opportunities in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 2 April 2023: The 12^th Annual Investment Meeting (AIM Global 2023), which is supported by the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development, will feature a number of local and international events, forums, and conferences from May 8 to 10 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre and discuss the latest investment trends, challenges, and opportunities to further boost the sustainable growth of the global economy.

Its lineup of activities comprises a series of dialogue sessions, keynote speeches, and interactive workshops that facilitate the exchange of ideas and best practices, foster dialogue and cooperation, and encourage collective efforts towards achieving a more sustainable and equitable financial future for all.

It will focus on two main tracks, Investment and Innovation & Technology, which will highlight several topics that cover 10 key different sectors – Agriculture, Energy, Technology, Infrastructure, Manufacturing, Tourism & Hospitality, Transportation & Logistics, Finance, Healthcare, and Education.

Least Developed Countries Forum

Organized in cooperation with the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA), the Least Developed Countries Forum aims to shed light on the key challenges confronting investment promotion agencies globally, such as market analysis mechanisms, investment trends, and sustainable approaches to addressing them, with a particular emphasis on investment promotion agencies in the least developed countries.

İsmail Erşahin, WAIPA Executive Director and CEO, lauded the long-term partnership between the association and the Annual Investment Meeting, the world’s leading platform that offers an excellent opportunity for investment experts, private sector representatives and international organizations to network and exchange ideas.

“This year we are pleased to be partnering on a conference for Least Developed Countries, where we will dedicate an entire day to discussing the crucial issues facing investment promotion agencies representing LDCs globally and to presenting them with the tools and knowledge needed to address their challenges in a productive and sustainable manner. We are also looking forward to hosting a workshop on attracting institutional capital, an increasingly urgent task for IPAs which WAIPA is supporting through our training programs,” Erşahin said.

Future Finance Forum

The Future Finance Forum, in partnership with the Union of Arab Banks under the theme “Leveraging Innovative Technologies for Financial Inclusion and Sustainability,” will bring together experts and practitioners to explore the role of cutting-edge technologies, such as blockchain, artificial intelligence, Web3, and digital currencies, in promoting financial access, stability, and sustainability. The Forum’s attendees will also gain a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and opportunities in implementing these technologies in the finance sector so they can collaborate on concrete solutions for a more inclusive and sustainable financial future in the Arab world.

Commenting on the collaboration, Secretary General of Union of Arab Banks Dr. Wissam Fattouh said: “In light of the global economic and climate risks, the Arab region is witnessing deep economic and financial transformations, which will shape its landscape for the upcoming decades. The Union of Arab Banks, in partnership with AIM, aims to shed light on the emerging challenges facing our region, and how to transform them into opportunities, in order to achieve a green, sustainable, and digital Arab economy.”

The local and global side events at the AIM Global 2023 also include “Make it in the Emirates”; “Invest in Abu Dhabi”; “Road to the World Investment Forum” in collaboration with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development; “Entrepreneurs Investment Summit” with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO); “Bloomberg New Energy Finance Forum”; “Future Finance Forum” with the Union of Arab Banks; “World Local Production Forum” with the World Health Organization; “Tourism Investment Forum” with the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO); “Least Developed Countries Forum” in partnership with the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies; “Finoverse Forum”; “Distressed and Alternative Investment Forum” with the DDC Financial Group; and “Advanced Manufacturing Investment Forum” to be hosted by UNIDO.

AIM Global 2023 will revolve around the theme “The Investment Paradigm Shift: Future Investment Opportunities To Foster Sustainable Economic Growth, Diversity and Prosperity.” Throughout its previous editions, the conference has established itself as the world’s largest investment platform, attracting extensive international participation from decision-makers, senior officials, businesspeople, experts, and academics. It has excelled at providing a premier venue for knowledge dissemination and exchange, staying updated on the latest developments in foreign direct investment and related matters, sharing experiences, exploring business prospects, and forging cooperation and partnership agreements.

April 2, 2023
”How Nigeria Could Turn Climate Change into Economic Opportunity”-Prof Okereke

The ongoing effort to stem the negative impact of climate change presents Nigeria with unique opportunities to boost its economy and improve electricity supply through renewable sources, expert on climate change issues, Professor Chukwumerije Okereke has said.

Okereke who is the Director, Centre for Climate Change and Development, CCCD, Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike, stated this in Abuja at the award ceremony for the winners of the second National Essay Competition titled ‘Climate Change and Nigeria’s Economic Development: A letter to Mr. Incoming President’.

Prof. Okereke said the essays written by the three finalists would be sent to whoever emerges Nigeria’s President in the general elections.

He noted that climate change was not just an environmental issue but a national emergency that should be paid serious attention to by all Nigerians.

According to him, “Many people misunderstand climate change as a small environmental problem somewhere. We are saying that climate change is a national economic development issue. It has to do with agriculture. It has to do with migration. It has to do with security. It has to do with water resources. It has to do with energy. It has to do with urban planning. It has to do with transportation.

“Nigeria is losing according to the statistics and research done by the UK Government up to $100 billion a year to climate change as at 2020. And that number may go up to $250 billion per year by 2050 if Nigeria fails to take drastic action to tackle the problem. And the youth is the future.

“They’re our leaders. You can see how massive their engagement in the current election campaign is. So we thought that it’s important to bring the youth together, to animate them, to equip them to empower them, to sensitise them so that they can champion the cause of climate change and the action to solve the problem in Nigeria.

“As to whether the right is going to get to the President, absolutely. We will make sure that we email these three winning essays to whoever becomes the next president”.

Prof. Okereke explained that the government needs to create more awareness among Nigerians on the impact of climate change and also set out a national plan to tackle the issues.

He said that the national plan has to be implemented to the letter and also ensure that institutions charged with implementing the policies are staffed with competent people to drive the process.

“The good news is that if we can act on climate change in a sensible and wise and intelligent manner, we can actually turn it from being a threat to being an opportunity. For example, in the area of renewable energy, we have just about 4,000 megawatts of energy that we are generating for a country of about 200 million people. South Africa generates about 40 gigawatts. And yet, Nigeria is a land of sun, we can harvest all the energy we need to meet our power and electricity from the sun.

“Second, we can begin to utilise what we call green agriculture to be able to deal with the issue of desertification, desert encroachment, the degradation of the Lake Chad lecture and begin to create opportunity for women and men to go into green agriculture, which will build resilience to climate change and also lead to a lot of job opportunities.

“We should stop the flaring of our gas in the Niger Delta, because its contribution is about 55 million metric tonnes of CO2 per annum to Nigeria. And yet if we harness those gases we can use it to power modular cooking and energy in the rural areas of the country”, he added.

Source:(CCCD Post)

March 30, 2023
Niger Country Unique Selling Points re-echoed

……As UK Trade and Investment Mission Visits

Story: Mohammed Abu

The Nigerien Minister of Trade, H.E.Mr. Allache Alhada has re-echoed Niger’s numerous investment opportunities in terms of huge agriculture potential, rich mineral deposits, energy, tourism and handicrafts among others adding that, his Ministry was playing the facilitator role.

Mr. Alhada also touched on concrete measures being taken by government to create a most enabling environment for businesses and investments to thrive well in Niger.

Mr. Alhada was speaking recently in Niamey during an audience he granted to members of the UK Trade and Investment Mission to Niger in the company of Her Excellency, Ms Catherine Inglehearn MBE, the UK Ambassador to Niger alongside representatives of a number of Ghana based Nigerien diaspora owned companies and other Ghanaian companies with business interest in Niger.

The meeting was part of the programme line up of the UK Trade and Investment Mission to Niger held concurrently with the visit of the West Africa region Country Manager of the UK Export Finance, Steven Gray .

The two-day event organized under the auspices of the British Embassy in Niamey and the UK Exports Finance in collaboration with the government of Niger, drew about twelve companies from the UK as well as some local Nigerien economic operators and their Ghanaian counterparts.

Mr. Alhada noted that the essence of involving the Ghanaian economic operators during the UK Trade and Investment Mission was borne out of the fact that, Ghanaian companies had decades long experience in trade, business and financing matters as it relates to the UK. Thus, their participation he intimated, was good for the possibility of fruitful collaboration and partnership between them thereby adding value to the UK mission to Niger.

Also part of the programme line-up was audience with the Ministry of Planning, Industry, Agro-industrial pole creation among others.

There were also presentations sessions on Investment opportunities in Niger by the Niger Chamber of Commerce, Ministry of Agriculture, Mines, Hydrocarbons, energy among others as well as presentation by Her Excellency, Ms Ingleheam the British Ambassador to Niger, the West Africa regional Executive Director of UK Export Finance, Steven Grey, FCDO, DMA Invest, members of the visiting UK Trade and Investment Mission to Niger, UK Export Financing mechanisms for infrastructure among others.

The two-day programme packed event was rounded off by a visit of the UK Trade and Investment Mission led by Her Excellency, the UK Ambassador to Niger, MA Invest and members of the UK Mission to LAIT SA, Riz Du Niger,

The event was in reciprocation to an earlier Nigerien Mission to the UK.

March 25, 2023