From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The Government of Saudi Arabia has pledged to invest in the revamp of Nigeria’s refineries, as well as provide financial support to sustain the government’s foreign exchange reforms, the Federal Government has announced.
According to a statement issued by Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, the Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman made these pledges at a bilateral meeting with President Bola Tinubu on the sidelines of the Saudi-Africa Summit in Riyadh.
According to Idris, to support the Central Bank’s ongoing reforms of Nigeria’s foreign exchange regime, the Saudi Government will make available a substantial deposit of foreign exchange to boost Nigeria’s forex liquidity. He said Prince Salman commended the economic reforms being implemented by the Tinubu administration, and expressed the commitment of the Saudi Government to supporting these reforms, and enabling Nigeria to reap the full benefits.
According to the Prince, Saudi Arabia is very eager to see Nigeria thrive under President Tinubu, and realise its full potential as the economic giant of Africa.
In addition to these, Prince bin Salman also highlighted Agriculture and Renewable Energy as areas of investment interest for Saudi Arabia, in Nigeria, to help the country attain food and energy security, respectively. The Crown Prince hinted that the refinery investments in Nigeria will be led by the Saudi state-owned oil company, Saudi Aramco, with the revamp to be completed within a two- to three-year timeframe.
The Crown Prince also expressed appreciation to Nigeria for its active participation in, and support for, OPEC+. President Tinubu, in his response, thanked the Saudi leader for the proposed investments, and pledged that Nigeria would ensure judicious management and oversight.
The two leaders vowed to work together over the next six months to develop a comprehensive road-map and blueprint to deliver on the agreed investments and outcomes.
Both leaders also spoke on the need to strengthen security cooperation to mitigate terrorism, illegal migration and other crises, not just in Nigeria, but across West Africa and the Sahel region.
The two leaders further discussed existing economic and socio-cultural cooperation between Nigeria and Saudi Arabia, and agreed to open new vistas in bilateral relations.
The bilateral meeting was attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, Nigerian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Amb Yahaya Lawal and the state Chief of Protocol, Ambassador Adekunle Adeleke.