The President of the Republic considered this Thursday that Nigeria is an “economically very strong” nation with which Portugal wants to cooperate and indicated that he hopes that “Thousands of Portuguese companies” feel “at home” in that country.
“We know that they are very strong economically, they are leading Africa economically,” said Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
Speaking at the closing of the Portugal-Nigeria Economic Forum, at the Lisbon Congress Center, before the President of the Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, the Portuguese Head of State said that Nigerians “know that they have to diversify” their economy and indicated that the Portuguese can help in this task.
“Apparently we are a small country, but Portugal has immense experience within the European Union, the Portuguese-speaking countries and the United Nations,” he stressed, defending that Portugal started “first the energy transition, before many of the European economic leaders” and also the digital transition, using the Web Summit technology summit in Lisbon as an example.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa pointed out that Portugal wants to cooperate with Nigeria “in so many sectors”, including “agriculture, health, science, sea” and it has “companies with experience, centers of excellence to do it, that can do it.”
and underlined the “reputation of Portuguese companies and the high quality of work“, in addition to the “unique knowledge of Africa”.
“We know Africa like very few and we love Africa,” he said, referring to the fact that “little by little our companies are discovering Nigeria and are fascinated by the country.”
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa also valued the presence of the President of the Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, in Portugal “a historic moment”since it is “the first time that a Nigerian president makes a state visit to Portugal”.
And he considered that “this visit is not only a formalization of the union that exists between the two countries, it is more than that, it is a new beginning in all sectors.a new beginning thinking about the future”.
“I know they feel at home, some ministers have already told me, we want to be more at home in Nigeria, not just a few companies, not just 10, 20, 100 companies, we want thousands of companies to feel at home. home in Nigeria”, declared the President of the Republic, noting that this will be “the legacy of this State visit”.
Addressing his counterpart, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said that the two are “young enough to see it” and indicated that he will go to Nigeria “later” so that the two can see with their “own eyes what resulted from this visit.”
Also in reference to gas supply, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa indicated that Nigerians ‘never failed’ and they are “always looking for new solutions for the future”, which can be “a kind of guarantee for Portugal and Europe”.
In the end, the journalists tried to approach the President of the Republic about the case of the new airport in the Lisbon region and that involves the Minister of Infrastructure, but Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa declined to comment. that moment.
Source: Observadora
