The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has expressed readiness to partner with the federal government to tackle Nigeria’s humanitarian and poverty challenges.
Salem Al Shamsi, the UAE Ambassador to Nigeria, made this known on Friday when he visited the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, in Abuja.
The envoy said he was at the ministry to seek partnership to participate in Nigeria’s humanitarian efforts.
He commended the long-standing relationship between Nigeria and the emirates and promised to continue collaborating to alleviate Nigerians’ plight.
“Nigeria remain a strong ally of the UAE, and we would continue to partner with Nigeria in key areas like humanitarian aid, job creation, Nutrition, health care development and poverty alleviation,” he said.
Earlier, the minister expressed gratitude to the government and people of the UAE for their timely interventions in critical sectors of need in Nigeria.
Ms Edu said President Bola Tinubu’s administration is determined to eradicate poverty under its eight-point agenda.
In the last 25 years, the exports of the United Arab Emirates to Nigeria have increased at an annualised rate of 21.7 per cent from $10.1 million in 1996 to $1.36 billion in 2021.
In 2021, Nigeria exported $276 million to the UAE.
NAN