Swedish Investors Seek Opportunities in Power, Mining

• Swedish Investors Seek Opportunities in Power, Mining

Swedish companies seeking investment opportunities in the mining and electricity industries on Tuesday stormed the headquarters of the Federal Ministry of Finance to discuss with government officials.

The investors, led by Swedish Minister of Trade and European Union Affairs, Mrs. Ann Linde, listened to a presentation by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, Mr. Mahmoud Isa-Dutse, who represented the minister, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun.

Linde listed the Swedish businesses in the delegation to include Ignitia, Okpabi Finance, Hemocue, as well as financial institutions, Swedish Exports Credit Guarantee Board and SEK Swebank.

She said, “The delegation wants to know what measures the government is taking to tackle the current recession and what its longer term plans are for financial stability in the economy.

“A brief presentation on Nigeria’s challenges and general information will boost investor confidence.”

Isa-Dutse, in the presentation, said that the government was determined to turn around the economy.

He said, “Despite the shock of the dwindling oil prices, the Federal Government is determined to absolve the shock of oil prices. We are currently focused on diversifying the economy by improving investments in key sectors with potential to create jobs and have other multiplier effects in the economy.

“So, this government has introduced programmes to improve the agriculture, manufacturing and mining sectors, among others. We are working assiduously to fix the entire value chain.”

When the delegation visited the Ministry of Communications, the minister, Mr. Adebayo Shittu, said the present administration was committed to making Nigeria’s business environment safe and conducive for investors.

Shittu assured the delegation that Nigeria was safe for investors, adding that return on investment was assured as regulatory processes were open, effective and transparent.