Nigeria to collaborate with D8, others on economy, healthcare -Osinbajo

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo says Nigeria will work closely with other countries who share similar socio-economic objectives in order to increase economic opportunities and healthcare delivery to citizens.

Osinbajo’s spokesman, Laolu Akande, in a statement on Tuesday said the vice president said this when he received Amb. Ku Jaafar Ku Shaari, Secretary General of the Developing-8 (D8) in Abuja.

The D8 countries include Bangladesh, Egypt, Nigeria, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Pakistan and Turkey with approximately 1 billion population covering an area of 7.6 million square kilometres and 5 per cent of world land area

Ku Shaari was in Nigeria for the official signing of agreement to establish D8 Headquarters on Health and Social Protection programmes in Nigeria.

“I want to congratulate you on the signing of the partnership agreement for the D8 Health and Social Protection Programme.

“This is important for us and for all D-8 countries.

“We are all emerging economies, the whole question around health care, human capacity development is crucial for us, and I think it is appropriate that we devote the time and resources like we are currently doing.

“We are hopeful that you will succeed in deepening the impact of the focal areas of trade, industry, energy and tourism, in all of our countries. We are happy that, working with the other countries, we can achieve our economic objectives.

“So, we are certainly looking forward to continue to work with the D8. We are committed to the D8 and expect that the forthcoming summit will expand the scope of work and deepen the achievements of the D8,’’ Osinbajo said.

Earlier in his remark, Ku Shaari, who thanked Nigeria for hosting the secretariat of the D8 Health and Social Protection Programme, said implementing programmes on health and poverty alleviation was key to the agenda of the organisation.

He also spoke on the D8’s forthcoming summit in Bangladesh later in the year where a new road map and plan of action for the actualisation of the organisation’s targets would be launched.