Vice President Kashim Shettima is in Iowa, USA, for the Norman E. Borlaug International Dialogue, which is being coordinated by the AfDB World Food Prize.
His spokesperson, Stanley Nkwocha, stated on Sunday that the vice president was scheduled to give the keynote speech at the event, which starts on Tuesday, October 24, as the special guest.
He also mentioned that Shettima will be attending high-level meetings with investors, manufacturers, and senior government officials in various US states while she was there.
Nkwocha stated on the Norman E. Borlaug International Dialogue that the vice president will be joining notable African leaders who have used the event to rally support for agricultural development and food sufficiency in Africa, including the late former secretary-general of the United Nations and founder of AGRA, Kofi Annan; World Food Prize Laureates; Presidents John Kufuor of Ghana and Akinwunmi Adeshina of the AfDB; Felix Tshishiked and Joaquim Chissano of the AfDB; Joyce Banda; Ameenah Gurib-Fakim and IFAD President, Kanayo Nwanze.
In order to attract investors and secure commitments to carrying out President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directives and initiatives for Nigeria’s agro-food sector, he continued, the vice president would utilize the occasion to talk about the potential and resources of the country’s agricultural sector.
Shettima traveled in the United States from Beijing, China, where he attended the 3rd Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) Forum on behalf of President Tinubu.
He attended the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Nigerian government and China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd. for the construction of the Lekki Deep Blue Seaport project at the Lekki Free Trade Zone in Lagos by Minister of Works Dave Umahi, Nigeria’s Ambassador to China Baba Ahmed Jedda, and a representative of the Chinese company.
Memoranda of Understanding for the new $2 billion projects were inked by three Chinese partners and the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI).
Letters of intent totaling an additional $4 billion were received for new ventures and investments.
The vice president declared that Nigeria had never been riper and more prepared for businesses to flourish, praising all parties involved as well as their Chinese counterparts.
He stated that the way was clear for significant trade and economic cooperation because of the Tinubu administration’s meticulous efforts to guarantee an even playing field for all investors once all obstacles had been removed.
The ten Chinese companies, TBEA (solar products), DongFeng Vehicles Co. (car design and manufacture), and HiLong Energy (CNG, LNG, methanol), submitted Letters of Intent to the Vice President in an attempt to raise $4 billion in capital.
Additional companies include Acadia Technologies (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd. (smart grids and microgrids), Value Platform International Services Ltd. (vocational training), China State Construction Company (building technology and materials), Hidier Group (development of new industrial park), and Space Star Technology (transfer of drone technology).
The gigantic project is further proof that Nigeria is still an industrial refuge for many investors, according to Engineer Dave Umahi, Minister of Works, during the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on the development of the Deep Blue Sea Port at the Lekki Free Trade Zone.
Following the occasion at the Nigerian Embassy in Beijing, the Vice President met with major players in the construction, power, communications, and technology sectors.
These entities comprise China National Electric Engineering Co. Ltd, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC), China Railway Construction Corporation ( CRCC), China Communications Construction Co. Ltd (CCCC), HUAWEI Technologies, Senteng International Company Nigeria Limited, China National Electric Engineering Co. Ltd and Zhejiang Dahua Technology Co. Ltd.
