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Mumbai : Union minister of commerce and industry Anand Sharma has emphasised the strategic relationship between India and Nigeria and called upon the businesses of the region to forge new partnerships.
In his keynote address, at the India - West Africa business seminar in Nigeria, the minister highlighted the need for Indian business community to harness the immense opportunities in the processing, manufacturing, agriculture and infrastructure sectors.
The seminar was attended by more than 300 business persons from India and Nigeria. Earlier, Sharma along with his Nigerian counterpart also inaugurated the "Made in India" exhibition, with participation from 50 Indian companies. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between ECOWAS and FICCI was also signed.
The Namaskar Africa 2010 was especially topical since Nigeria is India's largest trading partner in Africa with the overall trade at $10.2 billion in 2008-2009. Among other prominent participants were Nigerian minister of commerce & industry and minister of state for foreign affairs besides the president elect of FICCI and president of ECOWAS, the economic grouping of 15 Western African countries.
The minister also held a bilateral meeting with his Nigerian counterpart Achike Udenwa. "Both the ministers discussed the bilateral commercial relations and ways of forging relationship in the areas of agriculture, food business, textile, power, infrastructure and energy. The Nigerian side especially requested the Indian side for assistance in these areas," the ministry said in a statement.
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