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Nigeria attracts largest investments in Africa – Jonathan

By BusinessNews Staff on December 4, 2014

Nigeria attracted the largest investments in the whole of Africa in the last three years, President Goodluck Jonathan has said.

The President told private sector investors that although the country had been characterised by various challenges, businesses in Nigeria had continued to thrive.

Jonathan spoke during a Presidential dinner with senior management officials of the Top 100 Businesses in Nigeria on Monday night at the banqueting hall of the Presidential Villa.

According to him, the top 100 businesses account for about 20 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product of the country and employ millions of Nigerians.

He said, “Your achievements have been remarkable, you have exhibited confidence in this country. Through your investments you have contributed significantly in employment generation, wealth creation and the overall economic development.

“Over the past few years, Nigeria has reinforced its position as the leading economy on the continent and one of the leading investment destinations in the world. No economy in Africa has attracted more investments than Nigeria over the last three years. To ensure sustained economic transformation, this administration has introduced a number of sectoral reforms to sustain and increase this growth.

“As the top 100 businesses, you represent the very best of corporate Nigeria. Besides your entrepreneurial success, we celebrate you today because your investment in Nigeria is an investment in the Nigerian people. Each job you create is to support the Nigerian economy.”

Jonathan, however, noted that the recent bomb blasts in Kano, Maiduguri and Damaturu led to the stalling of his planned visit to Lagos last week.

He said he regretted the developments and pledged to nip the crisis in the bud, but maintained that the situation had not hampered business growth generally in the country.

[Punch]

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