The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), will today depart Paris to South Africa, to attend the Intra-African Trade Fair.
Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, announced this on Saturday in a statement titled, ‘President Buhari Leaves Paris For Intra African Trade Fair In South Africa’.
The statement read, “President Muhammadu Buhari will, Saturday, leave Paris for Durban, South Africa, at a special invitation by President Cyril Ramaphosa, to join other African leaders at the Official Opening Ceremony of the 2nd Intra-African Trade Fair 2021 which takes place on Monday.
“The event, holding from November 15 to November 21, is being convened by the African Export-Import Bank in collaboration with the African Union Commission and the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat.
“The theme of the Fair, Building Bridges for a Successful AfCFTA aims at boosting trade and investment across the African continent. It also promises to create the enabling environment for businesses to thrive across the African continent; bring to fruition the lofty ideas behind the creation of the AfCFTA by providing the platform to further identify and proffer solutions to challenges militating against intra-African trade and; generate market information needed to connect buyers and sellers throughout the continent.
“Global businesses including non-African international brands are expected to key into opportunities generated by the fair, thereby attracting for the continent trade and investment deals worth $40billion. Various Nigerian investors are already in Durban to take advantage of the event.
“The President will be accompanied on the trip by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama; Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Adebayo; Director General, National Intelligence Agency, Ahmed Abubakar; and the Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Export Promotion Council, Segun Awolowo.