VIDEO: Tinubu never tired of marketing Nigeria – Oyedele

Nigeria’s Finance Minister, Taiwo Oyedele, says President Bola Tinubu is participating in the 13th edition of the Africa CEO Forum in Kigali, Rwanda, to attract investments in power, mining, and port development, describing the president as the country’s “chief marketer.”

Oyedele, who spoke in a video shared by the Special Assistant to the President on Social Media, Dada Olusegun via X.com, on the sidelines of the two-day forum held on May 14 and 15, said discussions centred on mobilising capital for critical sectors of the Nigerian economy.

“Mr. President is never tired of marketing Nigeria. He’s the chief marketer for the country. We had several engagements and discussions, mostly focusing on economic opportunities, how we can mobilise more investment, particularly in the area of power,” he said.

“We also had discussions, interesting ones around mining, as well as opportunities to even support private sector, small businesses,” he added.

The minister noted that Nigeria had previously failed to adequately project its economic story but said Tinubu’s track record was now lending credibility to the country’s investment pitch.

“We were not telling our stories as we should before now. By telling the story that is credible, and you’re not just saying what we can do, Mr. President has the credentials to demonstrate what he has done and his commitment towards making those issues even more compelling going forward,” Oyedele said.

On the sidelines of the forum, President Tinubu also held bilateral talks with the President of Guinea, with both countries identifying iron ore development as a key area of cooperation.

Oyedele described the meeting as one between “big brother and younger brother,” adding that Tinubu commended Guinea’s president for resisting pressure to exit the Economic Community of West African States

“Mr. President commended the president of Guinea for not withdrawing from ECOWAS when the pressure was much on him to do that,” the minister said.

“There’s a lot the two countries can do together in the area of development. Some of it is to do with iron ore. The partnership is we’re stronger together,” he added.

Reflecting on Nigeria’s takeaway from the forum, Oyedele said the country’s economic reforms positioned it as a model for the continent, noting that Africa’s conversation had shifted from aspiration to execution.

“Nigeria has done a lot of very transformative reforms. We now have the example in Nigeria, still the largest economy by scale, by opportunities, by population, saying that we have done it. It wasn’t meant to be easy, but it was necessary. And now we’re on that track towards winning and getting all the gains of those reforms,” he said.

The minister stressed that African leaders at the forum had moved beyond rhetoric and acknowledged the urgency of implementation.

“The time for rhetoric is over. It’s now time for execution. It’s exciting for us to have the opportunity to be able to serve at this time, not just for our country, but for our continent,” Oyedele said.

𝐕𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐎: 𝐓𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐛𝐮 𝐍𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚 – 𝐎𝐲𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐞

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