The French government has announced that it would open the “Choose Africa” conference, a €3.5 billion initiative by President Emmanuel Macron, dedicated to support the development of start-ups and SMEs in Africa to enable the continent to benefit fully from the opportunities of the digital revolution.


The government also disclosed that Nigeria is the first in sub-Saharan Africa with bilateral trade amounting to a total of 4.5 billion USD in 2019 (2.3 billion USD in 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic).
This was disclosed in a statement made available to journalists yesterday announcing a two day visit of Mr Franck RIESTER, French Minister in charge of Foreign Trade and Attractiveness in Abuja,
According to the statement, “As the largest economy in Africa and the economic engine of West Africa, Nigeria is indeed a major partner for France, the first in sub-Saharan Africa with bilateral trade amounting to a total of 4.5 billion USD in 2019 (2.3 billion USD in 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic). The Minister will have several official meetings in Abuja and Lagos, in order to underline the importance of the bilateral economic relationship and to prepare the Summit on the financing of African economies in Paris on 18 May. The objective of the mission is also to further strengthen the links between the French and Nigerian private sectors. In this regard, the Minister will have in-depth discussions with the Nigerian economic actors to strengthen bilateral cooperation and investments, both in Nigeria and in France, particularly in the logistics sector.