Abuja: The Regional Development Ministry is collaborating with the European Union on security, trainings, empowerment, and provision of basic amenities across the six geopolitical zones. The Minister of Regional Development, Abubakar Momoh, disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja, when he received the EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Mr. Gautier Mignot.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Momoh stated that the EU had been actively involved and supportive in various regions. “We have discussed extensively, particularly on areas of cooperation, and where assistance can be rendered to the Ministry to achieve our mandates. EU has been working in the Niger Delta, particularly in the time of amnesty, and they are still working there. So, with the new Commissions in place and the Ministry becoming a Ministry of Regional Development, we are also discussing how to focus on development across the regions,” he said.
The Minister of State for Regional Development, Uba Ahmadu, also expressed his gratitude to the EU Am
bassador and his team for their ongoing developmental efforts in Nigeria. “We are looking at a brighter future going forward in our relationship with the EU and other development partners here in Nigeria to add value to what President Bola Tinubu is doing,” he remarked.
In his remarks, Ambassador Mignot emphasized the purpose of the visit was to develop strategies in coordination with the federal and state governments, as well as other donors, to boost regional development. He highlighted the EU’s significant involvement in numerous projects across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, stressing the importance of mutual awareness of these projects.
Mignot identified the EU’s priorities in Nigeria as the green economy, digital economy, agricultural value chains, and health. “I came here with my team to have a first working meeting with the Ministers of Regional Development, because the development of the six geopolitical zones is very important under the New York Agenda. For the EU, which has a longstanding part
nership with Nigeria, partnering with the federal and state governments is also very important. It is important to raise awareness mutually on our projects and then see how we can articulate our efforts,” he concluded.