Ex ambassador wants Nigeria, Slovenia to sign agreement

A former envoy, Amb. Dotun Adepoju, has urged Nigeria and Slovenia to sign investment promotion and protection agreements to prevent the cost of trade between the two countries from rising.

Adepoju, who was the Nigerian Deputy Head of Mission to Russia, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Thursday.

He said that given the enormous trade opportunities and disparity in laws of both country, it was important to institute a working trade document to prevent the high cost of doing business.

“The two countries have to sign an investment promotion and protection agreement as well as double taxation agreement to prevent the cost from rising and we are still at the initial stage.

“We have the Slovenia Nigeria chamber, the Nigerian Slovenia chamber is about to take off.

“We need the avoidance of double taxation agreement and we need also to have the MOU on economic trade cooperation between the two countries.“

Adepoju urged Nigeria to encourage trade and investment with Slovenia in the area of solid minerals development, waste management and Information Technology (IT).

He said the dwindling revenue from the oil sector had made it imperative for Nigeria to explore opportunities in the non-oil sectors.

He said the deepening of IT investment in Nigeria would help strengthen electronic governance in Nigeria.

Adepoju, however, said it was important for Nigeria to explore other trade partners.

“Slovenia’s economy is small, but we can get something from there; it is a way of doing business with non-traditional partners.

“We have relied so much on the United States and China; but let’s try Central Europe.

“Actually they will bring in something that will enable us to explore.

“A few of them have been coming in as IT specialists, consultants with private companies.

“It is a way of trying different experts, the Slovenia technocrats will not charge us much.

“I think they will be less expensive than those from other developed countries.“

He explained that the envisaged trade agreement when fully in place would define the terms and conditions of doing business by both countries.