Bangladesh-Nigeria to sign bilateral agreement on agriculture
This Day | 14 November 2019
Bangladesh-Nigeria to sign bilateral agreement on agriculture
By Oluchi Chibuzor
The Bangladesh High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Shameen Ahsan, has disclosed that his country will soon sign an agreement with Nigeria, in the area of agriculture.
Speaking at a Nigeria-Bangladesh Business Forum, held in Lagos, recently, he said it was important to create a better link to foster commercial activities between the two countries.
According to him; “It is very important to interact with members of the civil society to further create a better understanding between the two countries and dispel misconceptions, while I try to make the country familiar in front of the Nigerians audience.
“We are currently working on signing an agreement on cooperation, in the field of agriculture and that would provide key platform to share best practices between the two countries. In addition to this Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), we are sharing this even in flood control,” he noted.
In his speech, the President, Lagos Chamber of Commerce & Industry (LCCI), Mr. Babatunde Ruwase, said both nations have expressed mutual interest to expand bilateral relations overtime.
“The Bangladesh Tariff Commission in 2014 prepared a feasibility study for the benefits of signing preferential trade agreement with African states and recommended that Nigeria along with Mali was the most promising countries for signing such agreements.
“We therefore urge Bangladeshi businessmen to invest in agriculture, ICT, food processing, garment production and industrial sectors of the economy,” he added.
“However, while export-led policies has helped Bangladesh rank among the world’s fastest growing economy with some eight per cent annual expansion rate, Nigeria is keen to boost economic growth which is stuck at some two per cent by attracting private capital into the non-oil sector.”
The President, Nigerian-Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce, Retired Capt. Usman Hamidu, represented by the Vice-President, Rtd. Commodore Jerome Jatau, advised the Nigerian business community to take advantage the huge opportunities the association offers to increase the trade volume which was at about $1.39 billion in 2018, according to United Nations.
