INTRO 

International cooperation and the role of global partnerships in the development of our nation’s economy was the core of the Honourable Minister’s engagements as demonstrated at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Global leadership Retreat in South Africa and the Presidential Visit in France. The objective is to consolidate on these collaborative engagements as we progress on our journey towards positioning Nigeria at the forefront of global technology and innovation.

KEY FOCUS

Trade and Global Partnerships: To achieve our Trade pillar objectives as outlined in the Ministry’s Strategic Blueprint document, Dr. ‘Bosun Tijani met with global leaders at the UNDP Retreat and in France to identify areas of cooperation and synergy as they work together to navigate our fast-evolving technologically-driven world.

TIMELINE

Monday:

• The Honourable Minister travelled to Johannesburg, South Africa to attend the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Global Leadership Retreat where he joined other leaders to discuss issues around accelerating transformation in Africa.
• His first engagement at the UNDP Retreat was to join a panel session themed, ‘Africa’s New Frontier: Innovation, Inclusion, and Resilience’. Issues brought forward at the session centred on how the African continent can harness its distinct strengths to effectively advance development priorities.

Tuesday:

• On Day 2 of the Retreat, he joined two panel sessions with other key speakers where he spoke on development in an age of disruption. Other speakers on the panel were Achim Steiner, Administrator, UNDP; Yuen Yuen Ang, Alfred Chandler Chair Professor of Political Economy, Johns Hopkins University; and Ghosh Arunabha, CEO, Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW).
• The Honourable Minister later had a bilateral meeting with the UNDP leadership team led by Achim Steiner to explore ways of strengthening the partnership between the global organisation and Nigeria towards bridging the digital divide and advancing transformation for the benefit of our country’s young population.

Wednesday:

• He travelled to Paris for the official visit of H.E President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to France. President Tinubu and First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu were received by President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte. On arrival in France, Dr. Tijani had a follow up meeting with François Bitouzet, Managing Director, VivaTech to discuss Nigeria’s participation at their upcoming event in Paris. VivaTech is regarded to be Europe’s biggest technology and startup event.