The European Union Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot, has reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to deepening partnerships with Africa through practical and equal collaborations.
Speaking yesterday at the maiden Diplomatic and Security International Conference, Mignot disclosed that Nigeria is set to benefit from the EU’s €300 billion Global Gateway Investment Strategy.
This is an international development initiative launched to enhance sustainable infrastructure and partnerships across the globe.
He held that in this fast-evolving world, the EU is committed to being a reliable partner to Nigeria and Africa in general.
“The one you can count upon, that keeps its commitments and stays its course.”
The ambassador emphasized that Nigeria occupies a strategic position in the EU’s diplomatic and development priorities, especially under the Global Gateway Strategy.
“Our offer to Africa and to the world is called the Global Gateway Investment Strategy. It aims at going beyond traditional development aid to build real partnerships that respect sovereignty and promote sustainable growth.
“Because as neighbors with so many historical and human links, our destinies are intertwined, and this is what makes our partnership so special,” Mignot said.
The Global Gateway is a European Union strategy launched in 2021 to mobilize €300 billion in investments for global infrastructure development.
It focuses on building smart, clean and secure connections in digital, energy and transport sectors while strengthening health, education and research systems.
In Nigeria, projects already underway include a 90,000km fibre optic network expansion, the Lagos Future Electric Maritime Transportation System, and support for climate-smart agriculture, renewable energy and digital infrastructure.
The ambassador, however, said that the war against misinformation must be taken seriously in order to achieve the set goal.
“To succeed in this renewed partnership, we also need to win the battle of information, because we are facing massive strategies of disinformation, instigated by rogue players whose only goal is destabilization and creative flux.
“The European Union is actively working to combat disinformation and to promote media literacy, with fact-checking playing a crucial role in these areas.
“Within its borders, the EU has adopted far-reaching measures to combat disinformation, and outside the borders, it is working with partners, including the media and civil society, to protect the integrity of the information matrix,” Mignot noted.
He also informed of the EU’s continued support for democracy, rule of law, human rights, gender equality and education as integral components of the investment strategy..
