Minister seeks robust collaboration in Nigeria-UAE relations

The Minister of State, Budget and National Planning, Prince Clement Agba, has called for robust collaboration between Nigeria’s Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning and its relevant counterparts in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Agba said that such collaboration would further strengthen existing bilateral relations between the countries.

The Minister made this known in a statement issued by the ministry’s Director of Information, Mrs Victoria Agba-Attah, in Abuja on Sunday.

According to Agba-Attah, the minister made the call in Abuja when he received the UAE Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr Fahad AITaffag.

AITaffag visit was to extend invitation to participate in his country’s trade and promotional campaign 2021 aimed at improving trade and bilateral relations with other countries.

The minister appreciated the enormous work UAE was doing with ministries and states in the country.

He said that such activities had remained unreported due to lack of collaboration with the Ministry of Finance Budget and National Planning saddled with coordinating bilateral relations and agreements.

Agba, however, said that there was no report of UAE’s activities on the Development Assistance Database (DAD) platform.

“When we have the data we can properly brief the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on your activities in the country.

“I am optimistic that this visit will be a starting point for robust bilateral relations between the Ministry and the Embassy,” he said.

The minister said that on the Dubai Expo 2021, he would liaise with his colleague, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, to work out modalities on how Nigeria could come in.

He expressed his readiness to work with the Embassy in making quotes/comments on bilateral relations of both countries as part of media promotion materials for the February campaign.

The UAE Ambassador said that the Expo, which is scheduled for later in November 2021, would be part of the activities to mark the country’s Independence Day celebrations.