France and Nigeria sign three deals involving transport, forestation and water supply

NIGERIA and France have signed three agreements worth $475m covering the provision of social amenities and reforestation as part of a developmental programme agreed during the recent visit of President Emmanuel Macron.

Last week, President Macron paid a high-profile visit to Nigeria, with the highlight being a trip to Fela Anikulapo's famous shrine in Lagos. Once an intern with the French embassy in Nigeria, President Macron has always been a big fan of Nigeria and delighted the public with his ability to speak Pidgin English.

During the visit, however, he also agreed on several issues with President Muhammadu Buhari, signing agreements, including one covering an urban mobility improvement programme in Lagos State, sustainable water supply in Kano and reforestation in Ogun State. The Lagos agreement involved a letter of intent for the financing of the urban mobility improvement project through a loan of $200m.

In addition, the urban mobility project will involve the development of eight priority bus corridors connected to the Lagos mass transit network. In Ogun State, a French firm in conjunction with the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority is to mobilise from investors about $200m for land reclamation to correct the massive degradation of arable land in the state.

Ogun State's Governor Ibikunle Amosun, said the project aimed to reforest 108,000 hectares of depleting forest. He hailed the signing of the agreement, describing it as very vital to not only addressing climate change challenges and recreating the forest but also providing employment to the people of the state, among other benefits.

France, through its foreign development agency Whence Francaise de Development (AFD), will also extend a credit facility of $75m towards improving water supply in Kano city. This concessional loan is expected to help the Kano State government ensure more residents of the city have access to drinking water while improving the financial viability of the state water board to increase its revenues.

Presidents Macron and Buhari pledged to increase the cooperation between Nigeria and France in tackling security challenges occasioned by Boko Haram and Isis jihadists in the country and the Sahel region of Africa. President Macron said he was more concerned about how African governments organised themselves to effectively tackle the challenges posed by terrorists on the continent.

He added: “The main plan is an African plan and France is not the one to solve or fix African situations. So what we want to do is that we will intervene and maintain our presence in Africa and Sahel to fight against terrorism, especially in Mali and in the region.

“What is important to me is how the different African governments organise themselves to fight against terrorism and get rid of these people and especially, jihadism. I think first we have to increase the operations and the pressure against these jihadists and we can fix the situation in the coming months and obviously France will remain present in Africa for as long as they want it."

On his part, President Buhari thanked the French government for its support and assistance to Nigeria’s efforts in combating insurgency and violent extremism in the country and the Sahel region. He said Nigeria had cultivated the culture of friendship with all its neighbours with a view to ensuring security and political stability in the region.