Nigeria and Indonesia to strengthen bilateral relations on transportation
The Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, has assured the Indonesian government of the Nigeria’s preparedness to partner with the Indonesian business community to develop the transportation sector in Nigeria.
The Minister gave this assurance while receiving in audience the Indonesian ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Retno L.P Marsudi, who paid him a courtesy call in his office, last week.
Amaechi, who was represented by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Sabiu Zakari, stated that the two countries have similarities in both natural and human resources that can be used as a tool to develop and promote trade and investment between the two countries.
He added that Nigeria is ever ready to collaborate with Indonesia to address infrastructural challenges in the maritime, aviation and rail sub-sectors of the nation’s economy.
He promised to give necessary support to the forthcoming Indonesia and Nigeria Business Forum scheduled to hold in June 2017 in Lagos and maintained that all the relevant Officials from the Ministry will participate in the Forum which will provide a veritable platform to interact meaningfully with the Indonesian business community.
According to him, there are a lot of potentials in the Transportation sector which the Indonesian Business Community can tap into for investment opportunities. He informed that the Federal Government has recently awarded concessioning of the narrow gauge rail lines to an American Company, General Electric, GE.
Earlier, the Indonesian envoy to Nigeria, Mr. Marsudi explained that he was in the Ministry to meet with the Minister and discuss on the need for the two Countries to strengthen and deepen the bilateral relations that will be beneficial to both Countries.
He added that part of the efforts is the extension of invitation by his country to the Minister of Transportation, Amaechi, to participate in the forthcoming Indonesian and Nigerian Business Forum scheduled to hold in June, 2017 in Lagos, maintaining that both the Indonesian government officials and its business community would be in attendance to deliberate on ways to assist Nigeria in the areas of harnessing investment opportunities.
He further added that Nigeria and Indonesia have come a long way in assisting each other in the areas where each country has comparative advantage over the other adding that his country has many experts and professionals who can assist Nigeria to overcome its challenges in the Transportation sector.
“Indonesia is endowed with both Natural and Human Resources like Nigeria and there are a lot of similarities between the two countries,” he emphasized.
