31st March, 2014
President Goodluck Jonathan will travel to Brussels on 1 April as the head of Nigeria’s delegation to the Fourth European Union-Africa Summit.
A statement from the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Reuben Abati, said the summit, scheduled to open in the Belgian capital on 2 April, had ” Investing in People, Prosperity and Peace” as its theme.
He said Jonathan, Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission, Jose Barroso were some of the participants billed to attend the summit.
He noted that the Heads of State and Government of the EU and Africa as well as leaders of the European Union and African Union Institutions wold also participate in the summit.
Abati added that the summit would, among other things, discuss ways of stimulating further growth and creating more jobs in Nigeria and other African countries. Education and training, women and youth, legal and illegal migrant flows between both continents, investments in peace and ways to enhance EU support for African capacities are also on the agenda of the summit.
The Brussels Summit would also provide an opportunity for participants to review EU-Africa relations based on the Joint Africa-EU Strategy which was adopted in Lisbon in 2007.
Abati added that the summit would explore options for greater mutually-beneficial cooperation between Africa and Europe. He said the president’s entourage included the Ministers of Defence, Lt.-Gen. Aliyu Gusau (retd); Foreign Affairs, Alhaji Aminu Wali, and Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Olusegun Aganga.
Abati said the president would hold bilateral talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany and some other participating heads of state and government before leaving Brussels for Abuja on Wednesday.