President Buhari urges France to assist Africans in the development of education, solid minerals, power, agric and more

President Buhari with other world leaders at the
27th Africa-France Summit in Bamako Mali on
14th Jan 2017
    ABUJA-President Muhammadu Buhari has said
that partnership between the African continent
and France should extend to investments in the
educational, power, agricultural and solid
minerals of the sector.
He said that the development of such critical
sectors would boost productivity, create
employment and reduce gender inequality,
radicalism and youth restiveness on the
continent.
The president shared the concerns in a
statement issued at the 27th Africa-France
Summit for Partnership, Peace and Emergence
taking place in Bamako, Mali on Saturday.
He said: “Efforts should also be geared towards
the development and emergence of the continent
through investments in critical sectors such as
Education, Power, Solid Minerals, Agriculture
and ICT. This will enable African economies to
spur productivity and create employment,
thereby addressing some of the socio-economic
conditions that contribute to gender inequality,
radicalism and youth restiveness, as well as the
push factors that make our citizens embark on
dangerous illegal migration to Europe in search
of ‘greener’ pastures,” the President said.
The president who noted the age long
relationship between Africa and France even as
he declared that African countries were taking
their own destinies in their own hands by
mobilizing resources also hoped that the
Partnership would still do more for Africa
“As we continue to mobilize for our own
sustainable, predictable and transparent sources
of finance that would help the continent pursue
its peace, security and development efforts, and
address the infrastructural deficit impeding
development on the continent, there is the need
for this Partnership to continue to assist Africa
on how to finance its development.
“Notably, France has been playing important
roles in the areas of development as well as
peace and security on the African continent.
“While so many gains have been made,
challenges such as terrorism, maritime
insecurity, trafficking in persons, trafficking in
weapons, drugs, cyber insecurity, illicit financial
flows, and infrastructural deficit continue to
militate against Africa’s comprehensive
infrastructural and economic development which
also hinder its emergence as an important
player in global affairs”, he said.
He, therefore, called for a strengthening of
African Defence mechanisms such that the
continent will be able to transform decisions
arising from the Partnership into concrete action
plans that will help Africa confront and
overcome its challenges.
“In particular, our cooperation should strengthen
our Defence in the context of African Peace and
Security Architecture as well as in the areas of
intelligence sharing, capacity building and
acquisition of military hardware needed to
confront the security challenges of the African
continent”, the statement sent by the
presidential spokesman, Mr. Femi Adesina.