Atlantic International Partnership Headlines: Nigerian investors point way to Africa’s inclusive economic growth

http://altlantic-internationalpartnership.com/2011/05/atlantic-international-partnership-headlines-nigerian-investors-point-way-to-africas-inclusive-economic-growth/
Some Nigerian businesses that took part in the just concluded World Economic Forum (WEF) in Cape Town, South Africa, have proffered suggestions they hope would help facilitate inclusive economic growth, not only in Nigeria, but throughout Africa.

Group chief executive, Oando Group, Wale Tinubu, who featured as one of the co-chairs at the three-day forum, called for the removal of all artificial trade barriers in the way of businesses in Africa, while the group deputy managing director, BGL Plc, Chibundu Edozie, sees the expansion of the scope of businesses beyond the Nigerian market as the way to build inclusive economic growth in the continent.
Strong African strategy
Mr Edozie said Nigerians should abandon the fixation with the size of the Nigerian market and focus attention on the entire continent, in view of the increasing global interest in Africa’s potentials.
“As against the Nigerian market of about 150 million people, the African market is a billion people, with an already existing catchment of trades and products. Though Nigeria should remain the core focus of their business operations, Nigerians should start looking at very strong African strategy, considering that the market is largely African, with the world beginning to wake up to the reality of the need for Africa’s economic integration,” he said.
Mr Tinubu, who was invited to by the organizers to showcase the potentials of homegrown companies that do business to world class standards and are identified as emerging regional champions, said removal of all artificial bottlenecks by governments to trade facilitation in the continent is the fastest way to achieve economic integration in the continent.
He listed those bottlenecks to include imposition of visa restrictions to citizens of Africa; closure of national borders between countries in Africa, and dearth of infrastructure, like roads and rail lines for easy movement of persons and goods as well as protectionist policies by governments barring African companies from doing businesses in other African states.