French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said Saturday that France wants to partner with Nigeria on security matters in the wake of a series of terror attacks in Africa's most populous nation. Recent attacks by radical Islamist group Boko Haram in north-east Nigeria have left more than 50 people dead.
Juppe said the partnership would be in the areas of intelligence gathering, information-sharing and training operations. Juppe, who spoke through an interpreter, is on a two-day visit to Nigeria, in what authorities described as a prelude to Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan's visit to Paris, set for the end of November.
The French envoy also stressed the need to curb piracy on the Gulf of Guinea, while noting France's interest in promoting peace and stability in the entire West African sub-region. "I am in Nigeria to show France's desire to deepen relations with Nigeria and condole her over recent terror attacks, and to discuss economic issues, as Nigeria is France's first trade partner in sub-saharan Africa, with a current trade volume put at 4.5 billion euros (6.2 billion dollars)," Juppe said.
Nigerian Foreign Minister Olugbenga Ashiru urged French investors to invest in non-oil sectors of agricultuure, mining and manufacturing "Nigeria is safe for investors to come for business," he said. Boko Haram's operations have crippled businesses activities in Maiduguri, where the sect is headquartered, a major stumbling block for the nation's fast growing economy. An earlier peace deal with the group failed, and it vowed to make the country ungovernable for Jonathan.