Vice President Kashim Shettima has arrived at Iowa in the United States of America to participate in the AfDB World Food Prize-facilitated Norman E. Borlaug International Dialogue.
His spokeman, Stanley Nkwocha, said on Sunday that as the special guest, the vice president was due to deliver the keynote address at the event which commences on Tuesday, October 24.
He added while in the US, Shettima would have high stake meetings across some states of the US with manufacturers, investors and top government officials.
Nkwocha said on the Norman E. Borlaug International Dialogue, the VP would be joining the late former United Nations Secretary-General and AGRA founder, Kofi Annan; World Food Prize Laureates; Ghana President, John Kufuor and AfDB President, Akinwunmi Adeshina; former President Olusegun Obasanjo; Presidents Felix Tshishiked and Joaquim Chissano; Joyce Banda; Ameenah Gurib – Fakim and IFAD President, Kanayo Nwanze as distinguished African leaders who have used the event to canvas support for agricultural development and food sufficiency in Africa.
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He added that the vice president would use the platform to discuss the potential and endowments of Nigeria’s agricultural sector to woo investors and push for commitments in achieving President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s mandates and programmes for Nigeria’s agro-food sector.
Shettima arrived in the US from Beijing, China, where he had represented President Tinubu at the 3rd Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) Forum.
At the forum, he witnessed the event where Minister of Works, Dave Umahi; Nigeria’s Ambassador to China, Baba Ahmed Jedda and the representative of Chinese Company signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Nigerian government and China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd for the construction of Lekki Deep Blue Seaport project at the Lekki Free Trade Zone in Lagos.
The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) and three Chinese partners signed Memoranda of Understanding for the new projects valued at $2 billion.
There was another $4 billion worth letters of intent for new projects and investments.
The vice president who commended all stakeholders and their Chinese counterparts said Nigeria had never been this ripe and ready for businesses to thrive in.
He said with the painstaking efforts by the Tinubu administration to ensure a level playing ground for all investors following the removal of all bottlenecks, the coast was clear for deep economic and trade collaborations.
The 10 Chinese firms who presented Letters of Intent to the Vice President to pull together 4 billion US Dollars in investments are TBEA (solar products); DongFeng Vehicles Co. (vehicle design and production) and HiLong Energy (CNG, LNG, methanol)
Others are Space Star Technology (Drone technology transfer); ENRIC (clean energy utilization technology); and Hidier Group (development of new industrial park), China State Construction Company (building technology and materials); CIMC (natural gas infrastructure delivery); Value Platform International Services Ltd (vocational training) and Acadia Technologies (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd. (smart grids and microgrids).
During the signing of the MoU on the construction of the Deep Blue Sea Port at the Lekki Free Trade Zone, the Minister of Works, Engr. Dave Umahi, said the massive project was yet another indication that Nigeria still remains an industrial haven for many investors.
The event which was held at the Nigerian Embassy in Beijing later saw the Vice President meeting with several communications, tech, railway, power and construction giants.
They include the 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.
