President Bola Tinubu arrived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Friday night, ahead of a special meeting of the World Economic Forum.
The meeting, scheduled for April 28-29, 2024, will bring together over 1,000 leaders from business, government, and academia to discuss global collaboration, growth, and energy for development, News About Nigeria reports.
Prior to his arrival in Saudi Arabia, President Tinubu concluded a state visit to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, where he met with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and businessmen and investors.
During the meeting, President Tinubu highlighted the need for stronger ties between Nigeria and the Netherlands, exploring creative channels of collaboration, partnerships, and strategic alliances to facilitate trade and investment.
According to his spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, President Tinubu listed his administration’s business-friendly reforms, including transparency in the Forex market and the Central Bank’s provision for foreign companies to repatriate profits.
He said, “We have an extremely dynamic youth population in Nigeria. It is a young country. 70% of our people are under the age of 30, and when we are referring to 200 million plus citizens, it represents both a massive workforce and a massive market for Dutch and other international investors.
“If our young people know they can achieve a good future in Nigeria, they will stay home and build our nation to greatness. Lawful migration of trained Nigerian minds and hands will be a benefit to Europe, and irregular migration will no longer be a source of fear in Europe if we partner effectively.
“This is what we want and it is why we are adamant about providing student loans and new credit opportunities to not only enhance the skills of our people but also to ensure that they can access a higher quality of life within their legitimate incomes. We will transform our economy, and our young people will be the reason why.”
Since assuming office on May 29, 2023, President Tinubu has travelled to various destinations, including Paris, France (3x); London, the United Kingdom; Bissau, Guinea-Bissau (2x); Nairobi, Kenya; Porto Norvo, Benin Republic; New Delhi, India; Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates; New York, the United States of America; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Berlin, Germany; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; and Doha, Qatar.
