The Global Gateway Initiative of the European Union (EU) aims to improve infrastructure in more than eight sectors in Nigeria and other African nations by allocating 150 billion euros over four years, by 2027.
This was announced by Jutta Urpilainen, EU Commissioner for International Partnerships, on Thursday (Oct. 19, 2023) in Abuja at the opening of the Global Gateway program.
Urpilainen claims that the purpose of the Global Gateway initiative is to improve connectivity, foster sustainable development, and fortify economic relations between the EU and its member nations, including Nigeria.
According to her, the EU would assist Nigeria in achieving improved infrastructure connectivity through the project, including help for energy, digital networks, transportation, and economic growth, as well as support for agriculture, health, and education.
“It will also promote sustainable development and environmental protection; and foster cooperation and partnerships with Nigeria and other partner countries.
“We are living in an increasingly fragmented world. The war that Russia started against Ukraine last year, the military takeover in Niger in July, and the escalation in Israel-Palestine conflict, are just stark reminders of that.
“In such a world, the Global Gateway strategy is our positive offer to build resilient connections in the world through strategic partnerships to jointly address the challenges of our times from fighting climate change to improving health systems,”she said
“Together, we intend to mobilise 300 billion Euros in investments by the year 2027, and half of them for Africa; it is 150 billion Euros by the year 2027; Nigeria features prominently in the Global Gateway investment package.”
According to Urpilainen, as part of its initiatives to help the digital economy, the EU will support the development of 5G in Nigeria and is preparing a potential loan to assist Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the digital and print sectors.
She continued by saying that the EU had allocated money to boost the energy sector, including the construction of smaller networks and tiny hydropower facilities for commercial and public use.
“In 2022, we launched a digital economic package for Nigeria. With EU and European Investment Banks, investments worth 820 million Euros, it is a lot of money.
“We are already supporting the roll out of digital IDs nationwide, mobile network expansion with MTN in Lagos and other states.
“We are also about to launch the construction of a line between Katsina and Daura twin lines, and we are proposing to reinforce the Nigeria-Benin interconnection of the framework of the West African power pole.”she said
According to Urpilainen, investing in education is the most transforming decision anybody can make. As a result, a project to empower women is being launched in North Western Nigeria in collaboration with the government to support high-quality basic education in the northern regions.
According to her, Nigeria is a key beneficiary of the Erasmus+ project promoting student mobility and higher education cooperation, with more than 2,020 Nigerian students receiving scholarships to study in the EU in 2022.
In order to accomplish common goals and objectives, the EU is committed to a long-term collaboration with Nigeria under the Global Gateway.
” The EU’s long-term commitment will see investments into the following sectors of the country: Agriculture (€42,000,000), Energy (€37,000,000), Health (€45,000,000), Digital (€55,000,000), Education (€45,000,000), and Social Protection (€46,000,000).”
The agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope is completely in line with the Global Gateway initiative, according to Mr. Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communication, Innovation, and Digital Economy.
According to Tijani, the main objective of this administration is a developed Nigeria that works for everyone and gives the government the chance to carry out its goals in the areas it chooses to prioritize.
“Africa’s relationship with Europe has deep historical roots, and has been built on years of shared values, collaboration and mutual respect.
” While we enjoy geographical proximity, we also have increasingly intertwined culture, and more importantly, a shared future.
” As we seek a better future together, we can only fully actualize and realize this dream by leveraging the ties that we have always had.
“We can build a more resilient world. If we empower and enable Africa to leverage its resources to contribute to the world, while strengthening its local economies.”
Tijani said that working with the EU gives Nigeria the opportunity to leverage its structure and historical resources to do more for the world, specifically also for Africa.
“For us in the Ministry of Communication, Innovation and Digital Economy, our role takes on further significance as we have a portfolio that will be central to all we want to achieve under the Global Gateway programme.
“Nigeria is a country that is extremely blessed; not only are we blessed with natural resources that can provide opportunities for us to help meet global challenges, food security, we are also blessed with a very young, agile population.”
According to Tijani, the Nigerian government made an investment to give young people opportunity to engage in the global economy.
Ref: NAN
