Earlier, Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Abubakar Bagudu, said that the event was built on the strong momentum generated at the 2023 EU-Nigeria Strategic Dialogue, which represented a significant milestone.

Bagudu said that it had elevated the mutual engagement and formally launched the EU’S Global Gateway Strategy in Nigeria.

He said that the moment signalled a deepening of ties and a shared commitment to a modern partnership anchored on mutual respect, shared prosperity, and sustainable investment.

“Our engagement has continued to evolve toward a more investment-driven, result-oriented and impact-focused framework that reflects both our ambitions and the realities of a rapidly changing global economy.

“Nigeria remains firmly committed to deepening this strategic relationship. Under President Bola Tinubu’s leadership, we are implementing bold and far-reaching macroeconomic reforms.

“These reforms aim at stabilising the economy, strengthening fiscal sustainability, and creating an enabling environment for private sector-led growth.

“They include efforts to improve revenue mobilisation, enhance transparency in public financial management, rationalise expenditures, and strengthen the efficiency of our foreign exchange market,’’ he said.

Bagudu, represented by Dr Doris Anite-Uzoka, Minister of State, Budget and Economic Planning, said that collectively, they were laying the ground work for a more competitive, resilient, and inclusive economy.

The Managing Director/CEO Bank of Industry (BoI), Dr Olasupo Olusi, said that the synergy demonstrated how strategic partnership could channel long-term investment into Nigeria’s most critical sector.

According to him, through the partnership with the European investment Bank, targeted, long-term financing is being put into two priority sectors, healthcare and agriculture.

He said that the sectors were central to Tinubu’s agenda for national resilience and inclusive growth.

Mr Jarno Syrjaia, the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Trade, Finland, said that Finland assumed the lead role in the new Team Europe Initiative.

Syrjaia said that it was to Strengthen Nigeria’s Digital Public Services and support the three million Technical Talents (3MTT).

He said that his government was proud to announce its responsibility to enhance Nigeria’s digital public services and advance inclusive digital skills.

He said that Finland’s development and training company, HAUS, would lead the implementation in partnership with Estonia’s development agency, ESTDEV, to bring together European expertise in digital government and public-sector innovation.

Mr Uche Amaonwu, Country Director, Gates Foundation, said that supporting health manufacturing was critical to shared strategic goals.

Amaonwu said that the foundation was glad to work together with its partners who lead the way in mobilising financing for African healthcare players.

He said that it was encouraging to see that the work was translating into concrete investment in Nigeria through the BoI facility.

“We congratulate the BoI and PVAC for mobilising this innovative facility that will serve the real financing needs of Nigerian health manufacturers,’’ he said.

NAN reports that out of the 288 million euros, €23 million is for grant support for the Nigerian DPI.

“€108 million is for the recent signatures of €22 million grant and €86 million loan to the Nigerian government.

Furthermore, €50 million is for the recent signature of a lending facility to the Bank of Industry to boost the development of healthcare manufacturing project in Nigeria.

Also, €5 million is for a grant supporting training in health, pharma and nutrition sectors.

Others are 85 million euros in a recent signature of a lending facility to the BoI to support on-lending operations in favour of agri-businesses in selected value chains, in particular dairy and cocoa.

One million euros is for an upcoming launch of a twinning project with the Ministry of Agriculture to bring in public sector climate/agriculture experts from Austria, Czech Republic and Latvia.

Lastly.

“16 million euros will be for an additional contribution to support Nigeria’s efforts in improving and strengthening the sustainability of its migration governance framework.

This will focus on reintegrating of returning migrants and countering trafficking in human beings (THB) and smuggling of migrants (SoM).

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