PRESS RELEASE: FCT MINISTER URGES NEW AMBASSADORS TO EXPLORE FDI FOR FCT

The 47 newly appointed career Ambassadors have been urged to explore possibilities of attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

 

The FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello gave this charge on Thursday when the new Ambassadors paid him a working visit at the FCDA Conference Room, Central Business District, Abuja.

 

The Minister emphasized that with Foreign Direct Investment, the economic challenge the nation is facing today would become a thing of the past as that would drastically reduce dependence on imported goods and services.

 

Malam Bello reiterated that there are a lot of investment opportunities in the Federal Capital Territory that could be marketed by the new Ambassadors to their host countries and that the FCTA would leverage on their expertise to sell Abuja to the world.

 

The Minister remarked that there exist opportunities for light industries in the Federal Capital Territory; saying that the Idu Industrial Layout has been provided with adequate infrastructure for such purpose.

 

According to him, the FCT Administration has also provided an enabling environment for would-be genuine investors to strive and further urged the new envoys to take advantage of such liberalization.

 

He reminded them that Abuja is the only city that is a creation of law in Nigeria, the home to all Nigerians including the new Ambassadors, and the window through which the world sees the country. 

 

Malam Bello assured that the FCT Administration would continue to jealously guard the Abuja Master Plan and all the diplomatic plots meant for embassies and High Commissions in the city.

 

The Minister prayed that all of the new Ambassadors would make the nation proud as well as the Federal Capital Territory; stressing, “all of you have Abuja as either first or second home”.

 

His words: “You know all the challenges of the Federal Capital Territory because all of you live here and therefore you can best market the city by bringing Foreign Direct Investment to tackle all those challenges.”

 

Speaking earlier, the Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye who led the group appreciated the warm reception accorded the team.

 

The Permanent Secretary said that the visit is part of the induction programme organized for the new Ambassadors to acquaint and remind them of the ingredients of the government policies in terms of protocol and its priority in terms of domestic agenda which is built on change, good governance, economic, security and anti-corruption.

 

“This is to help identify the foreign policy component of the government programme to enable the new Ambassadors go out there to engage and advance the domestic agenda of Nigeria,” he added.

 

Signed.

Muhammad Hazat Sule, FCAI

Deputy Director / Chief Press Secretary,

Thursday, December 22, 2016.

 

 

 

 

 

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