By Chinyere Anyanwu
Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara has accepted the partnership gesture offered by the Austrian government in improving agriculture, healthcare service delivery, and quality education for people of the state.
Fubara accented to the deal after a closed door meeting with the Austrian Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Thomas Schlesinger, at the Rivers State Government House, Port Harcourt, at the weekend.
A statement signed by Governor Fubara’s media aide, Boniface Onyedi, said the ambassador was in company of a delegation of an Austrian company, Avsatel Communications Limited, which was seeking partnership between the Rivers State tertiary institutions and an Austrian university in delivering quality health education.
Speaking to newsmen after the meeting, Mr. Schlesinger, Austrian ambassador to Nigeria, said they discussed on areas of mutual partnership, which includes collaboration between Austrian universities and Rivers State owned tertiary institutions for global training in health education.
He further noted that the state has also agreed to engage the expertise of Avsatel Communications in transportation technology, especially in areas of providing expertise in the installation and use of air traffic management systems as well as revamping the state-owned Fire Service.
Former governor of Rivers State, Dr. Peter Odili, who was part of the closed door meeting, said there are lots of potential in the state that Governor Fubara is harnessing to advance the fortunes of Rivers people.
Odili explained that a new level of collaboration was explored in the education sector that will encourage shared experience, exchange of programmes and making it possible for Rivers State and Austria to move into the future in the area of medical education.