Nigeria and Tunisia have pledged to deepen bilateral relations in multiple sectors, including industries, information communication technology, engineering, electrical, chemical energy, agriculture, sports, healthcare and tourism, among others.
The two countries made the pledge during the multisectoral Nigeria-Tunisia Economic Forum, held in Abuja on Tuesday.
The forum aimed at exploring and creating various investment opportunities between the two countries.
The event, with the theme: “Multisectoral Economic Mission in Nigeria,” which officially kicked off on Tuesday, will end on Friday.
Twenty Tunisian companies are attending the forum, which is a collaborative effort of Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment.
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Tunisian Ambassador to Nigeria, Mohsen Antit, said the event provided an opportunity for both sides to move forward to concrete partnership, as Tunisia was eager to collaborate in multiple sectors.
“Tunisia has a great deal of willingness to move ahead, working and cooperating in a common and single voice for the best of our peoples and for the future of our dear continent.
“We are open to whatever initiatives and reliable points of view that would pave the way for further advancements of our relations to make them the fruitful result of our cooperation on legal terms.
“Our country has the best and most qualified doctors, medical institutions, educational institutions and is open to cooperation with our African brothers in these highly developed sectors,” he said.
Antit emphasised said that Tunisia was a leading global tourist destination with a lot of potential for investors and concomitant business opportunities.
“Tunisia is ranked fourth in the world’s top 20 tourist destinations. It’s ahead of Morocco and Egypt, and just behind Spain, Greece and France.
“As far as tourism is concerned, Tunisia is strong with tourist attractions and its ancient ruins of cartage and coastal resorts, golden beaches, sunny weather and affordable luxuries.
“They are safe and secure for families and individuals who wish to spend holidays in any of its beautiful Mediterranean resorts,” the envoy said.
The ambassador stated that Tunisia was willing to open discussion toward collaboration with Nigerian businessmen in the fields of agriculture, security, banking and finance, mining, oil and gas, aviation, among many others.
“It supports African territorial membership and the cultural and new state of mind built on solid foundations and on the principle of win-win partnership,” he added.
Also speaking, the leader of the Tunisian business delegation and President of Tunisia Africa Business Council, TABC, Anis Jaziri, said the forum was Tunisia’s first economic mission to Nigeria.
According to him, the decision to hold the event in Nigeria was taken during the Financing Investment and Trade in Africa (FITA 2024) forum held in Tunis because of the big opportunity for Tunisia and Nigeria to develop together.
He said that Tunisian companies were seeking to create long-term relationship with Nigeria because of Nigeria’s giant status as ECOWAS’ largest country and Africa’s biggest market.
“We’ll sign many partnerships, and sign strong cooperation for the development of our two countries.
“Today, I am honored to announce that Nigeria will be the guest of honor of the next edition of FITA,” Jaziri said.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Tuggar, described the event as a confirmation of the excellent bilateral relations between the two countries, adding that it would deepen economic collaborations.
Tugger said that the forum would go a long way to hold the wheel of collaboration for sustainable economic cooperation and served as a platform to enhance economic and trade relations between the two countries.
Tuggar, represented by Amb. Bolaji Akinremi, the ministry’s Director, Trade and Investment, said Nigeria was “keen and prepared for the engagements and collaborations with Tunisia.”
This, he said, was demonstrated by President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to economic diversification and growth through the policy initiatives toward boosting foreign direct investment.
“I encourage you to explore the available potentials and opportunities yet untapped in Nigeria and Tunisia and identify areas of mutual beneficial cooperation to promote trade between them.
“Tunisia and Nigeria share a lot of cultural and religious affinities, having stood together in the fight against colonialism and post-colonial influence of economic subversion.
“Now I, regrettably, note the low volume of trade in goods and trade in services between our two countries, notwithstanding the long-term relationship between them, and their competitive advantages in various sectors, like health, tourism, and energy,” Tuggar said.
Sen. George Akume, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, represented by an official from his office, described Nigeria as a vital land for investment, and urged the Tunisian delegation to invest in Nigeria.
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