Onyeama advocates partnership with Norway to strengthen bilateral trade

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, has called for closer working relationship with Norway, to strengthen the bilateral trade between Nigeria and Norway.
Onyeama made the call in his address while receiving Jens Frolich Holte, Norwegian State Secretary for International Development and his team at the Ministry, on Monday in Abuja.
He said the need for closer ties with Norway had become imperative in the bid to boost trade relations and to tackle issues that surrounded economic trade in Nigeria.
According to him, although we have gone through economic recession, we have come out and it is key for us to manage our resources through mutual cooperation.
Onyeama said: “We look forward to working with your country to leverage on the level of trade between our countries and to improve on it.
“We have gone through economic recession and come out of it; we are very keen to work with you.
“You are oil producing and have also managed your resources a lot better than we have; this is why we are trying to diversify our economy.
“President Muhammadu Buhari had said we are mono-economy and when that economy crashes, we crash with it, therefore the need for diversification of our economy.
“So, we are looking to countries like yours to invest in Nigeria where there have been challenges in terms of ease of doing business and to make business trade a priority.”
Earlier, Holte said that they were at the ministry on maiden official visit to establish bilateral relations with Nigeria.
The Secretary described Norway and Nigeria as key in areas of production of crude oil, energy and gas, and promised to further cement economic trade relations with her to promote growth.
According to him, oil and gas, energy and fishery are major stock in trade volume between the two countries, but more is being done to improve on it.
He said: “Norway and Nigeria have had relationship since 1880s, both countries have taken extraordinary steps to improve renewable energy, oil and gas sector.”
“We look forward to key into areas within renewable energy; where there is big potential Norway has potential to invest in Nigeria.
“It is an industrialisation sector which Norway has placed importance on Nigeria as priority and has also informed this first bilateral meeting in the ministry.”