The Nigeria Israel Business Forum (NIBF) has reaffirmed its commitment to educating Nigerians on how to capitalize on the economic opportunities provided by bilateral agreements between Nigeria and Israel.
Mr Owusi Patgrace, National President of the NIBF, stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja.
Although Nigeria is endowed with human and natural resources, he believes that more needs to be done to attract foreign investment for economic growth in 2022.
“The plan, purpose, and program of NIBF is to ensure that the bilateral economic agreement between Nigeria and Israel is fully enforced, to the benefit of Nigerians and Israelis,” Patgrace said.
“One of the primary reasons we brought NIBF on board was the lopsidedness of the Nigerian and Israeli economies.”
“Israel has an advantage in doing business with Nigerians over Nigerians cashing in on an agreement signed in 2009 to do business with Israel; part of the reason for this is that they were not informed.”
“They don’t know, and you can’t do anything about what you don’t know.”
“So, one of the things we want to do is launch a campaign to educate our people about the economic rights we have with Israel, which some of us are unaware of.”
According to him, Israelis want some resources in Nigeria, but because Nigerians do not understand the economic values of such needs, other countries come into Nigeria, improve such resources, and sell them to Israel.
“Additionally, due to a lack of awareness, Israel imports such resources from nationals in other countries rather than importing from Nigerians with the resources domiciled in the fatherland,” he said.
He went on to say that the NIBF was dedicated to “bringing knowledge to our people; because knowledge is power.”
“We want to disseminate knowledge to our people so that they can capitalize on the opportunity provided by the bilateral economic agreement.”
“Also, we see 2022 as a great year for Nigerian businessmen and women who want to collaborate with Israel, using their technologies and technical know-how to harness some of the resources we have in Nigeria and put them to proper economic use.”
“We saw it as an opportunity to inform our people; we are fortunate in this regard.”
“We are blessed mentally and physically; what do we need to obtain earthling-wealth?” “We need technology, and Israel has it; they don’t have earthly resources, but we do,” he said.
The president of the forum also stated that the organization intended to establish NIBF branches in Lagos, Osun or Ekiti, Jos, and Enugu, as well as engage in mass literacy campaigns, in order to meet targets.
It also planned to bring Israeli technological experts to Nigeria to train Nigerians on agriculture and security, as well as ways to advance economically, and to travel to Israel to gain the necessary knowledge to move Nigeria forward.
He, on the other hand, cited the signing of the Nigeria-Israel bilateral economic agreement in 2009 as an achievement that allowed Nigerians to own shops and register their businesses in Israel without fear of harassment.
According to NAN, the NIBF has 500 members from across Nigeria, with the goal of bringing together entrepreneurs, investors, and market professionals to advance national growth.