Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Geoffrey Onyeama has said that strengthening partnership with UNIDO as the lead agency of the United Nations responsible for supporting Inclusive and Sustainable Industrial Development would help Nigeria to achieve economic diversification, reduce poverty and eliminate unemployment.
The minister was speaking when the new UNIDO Representative to ECOWAS and Regional Director, Nigeria Regional Office Hub, Mr. Jean Bakole, presented his Letter of Credence to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nigeria in Abuja.
The Minister said “UNIDO is one of Nigeria’s important and strategic partners , especially as the lead United Nations Agency with the specific mandate and focus to promote and support Inclusive and Sustainable Industrial Development. The Government of Nigeria is delighted to welcome the new UNIDO Representative to ECOWAS and Regional Director, Nigeria Regional Office Hub, Mr. Jean Bakole, to Nigeria.
“Given the existing excellent relationship between Nigeria and UNIDO, we want to assure Mr. Jean Bakole of our continued support and cooperation, and also reaffirm our commitment towards supporting and strengthening our partnership with UNIDO”, Mr. Onyeama said.
In his remarks, the UNIDO Representative to ECOWAS and Regional Director, Nigeria Office Hub, Mr. Jean Bakole thanked the Government of Nigeria for its continued support and partnership with UNIDO and reaffirmed the Organization’s commitment towards supporting the country to achieve Inclusive and Sustainable Industrial Development in line with UNIDO’s mandate.
Bakole said, “On behalf of the UNIDO Director General, Mr. LI Yong, I want to first and foremost thank the Government of Nigeria for its support and partnership with UNIDO over the years and also reassure the Government of Nigeria that UNIDO is committed to supporting the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with special focus on SDG 9 which aims to build resilient infrastructure, sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation, and related SDGs as well as the domestication of the Third Industrial Development Decade for Africa in Nigeria. Secondly, I want to thank the Government of Nigeria for accepting my appointment to serve as UNIDO Representative to ECOWAS and Regional Director, Nigeria Regional Office Hub.”
Nigeria currently has the largest portfolio of UNIDO projects in Africa estimated at about $34 million.These projects are currently being implemented within the framework of the Country Programme (CP), which began in 2013. UNIDO projects in Nigeria cut across critical economic sectors like industry/manufacturing; agri-business, renewable energy, environment and are aimed at supporting the Government of Nigeria in diversifying its oil dependent economy.
