By Ebitonye Akpodigha
The 22nd edition of the Nigerian Economic Summit (NES) themed Made in Nigeria will come to an end today, Wednesday, October 12, 2016.
The programme was declared open by President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, and the President expressed hopes that deliberations from the summit would help in boosting the country’s economy, which has slumped into recession for months now.
Mr Buhari, in his speech, commended the NESG for the platform, noting that it had over the years strengthened the relationship between the public and private sectors and also helped the government chart a new course as regards the economy.
Aligning with the theme of the event, the President said the fall in price of crude oil in the international market has made it imperative for Nigeria to produce most of what the citizens consume locally.
He had said in his opening speech that, “We need to diversify the economy so that we can produce the food we eat, make our own textiles, produce most of the things we use and create the right environment for our youth to create jobs through ICT.”
“My greatest desire is that Nigeria moves from import dependence to self-sufficiency in local production and become an export economy in goods and services,” he had also said at the occasion.
Various speakers, who have spoken at the summit, had also stressed the need for the country to diversify the economy.
These include Vice President, Mr Yemi Osinbajo; Senate President, Bukola Saraki; Budget and National Planning Minister, Mr Udoma Udo Udoma, Minister of Solid Minerals, Mr Kayode Fayemi amongst others.
Experts hope as the programme ends today, the government would have picked some vital suggestions and points made at the summit and use them to formulate policies that would grow the business environment in Nigeria.
Modupe Gbadeyanka