Nigeria’s billionaires are in Versailles, France for the 4th Choose France International Business Summit, which commenced on Monday, June 28, 2021.
The billionaires are Aliko Dangote, the Chairman of Dangote Group; Mike Adenuga, the founder of Glo and Conoil; Tony Elumelu, the chairman of Heirs Holdings, the United Bank for Africa, Transcorp and founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation and Abdul Samad Rabiu, Chairman of BUA Group and President of the newly inaugurated France Nigeria Business Council.
The billionaires were scheduled to meet French businessmen with strategic business in Nigeria or who plan to commence projects in Nigeria during the France-Nigeria Business Council planned to be held on the sideline of the 4th Choose France International Business Summit.
At the France-Nigeria Business Council meeting, led by the Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade and Economic Attractiveness, Franck Riester, French companies will have the opportunity to showcase their expertise to Nigerian leaders, with a view to identifying new partnerships.
It will be closed by the President of the Republic.
The France-Nigeria Business Council was launched by President Macron during his visit to Nigeria in 2018. It aims to help expand and deepen the France-Nigeria economic relationship through enhanced discussions between Nigerian and French private sector actors.
The Council focuses on tangible economic projects in various sectors. The first project to be discussed in this forum came to fruition thanks to an agreement between the companies Axens and BUA for the construction of a new refinery in Nigeria, in compliance with higher environmental standards.
Twenty-two (22) new investment projects, totally €3.6 billion, expected to create 7,000 jobs are to be birthed at the meeting.
It is expected that some 24 new investment projects will be announced by the foreign companies invited to the 2021 Choose France Summit, totalling €3.5 billion and more than 7,000 new jobs.
Abdul Samad Rabiu, Chairman of BUA Group and President of the newly inaugurated France Nigeria Business Council chats with President Emmanuel Macron of France while World Trade Organization (WTO) DG, Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, looks on during the Choose France Summit in Versailles, France on Monday.
