The Nigeria Israel Business Forum (NIBF) has reaffirmed its commitment to sensitising Nigerians to ways of exploiting the economic opportunities offered by Nigeria-Israel bilateral agreements.
The National President of NIBF, Mr Owusi Patgrace, made this known in an interview on Sunday in Abuja.
According to him, although Nigeria is endowed with human and natural resources, more needs to be done to attract foreign investment for economic growth in 2022.
Patgrace said: “The plan, purpose and programme of NIBF is to ensure that the bilateral economic agreement between Nigeria and Israel is fully enforced, to the betterment of Nigerians and Israelis.
“One of the cardinal reasons that brought NIBF on board is that we saw the lopsidedness of the economy of Nigeria and Israel.
“Israel has upper hands in transacting business with Nigerians, than Nigerians cashing on an agreement signed in 2009 to do business with Israel; part of the reason is because they were not informed.
“They do not know and what you do not know you cannot do anything with it.
“So, one of the things we want to do is to carry out a campaign that will inform our people of the right we have economically with Israel, of which some of us do not know.”
According to him, Israelis desire some resources in Nigeria, but because Nigerians do not know the economic values of such needs, other countries come into Nigeria, re-enhance such and sell to Israel.
“More so, Israel imports such resources from nationals in other countries, instead of importing from Nigerians having the resources domiciled in the fatherland, due to lack of awareness,” he said.
He added that the NIBF was determined “to bring knowledge to our people; because knowledge is power”.
“We want to send the knowledge to our people, so that they tap into the opportunity in the bilateral economic agreement and utilise it.
“Also, we are looking at 2022 to be a great year for Nigerian business men and women, who really want to synergise with Israel, with their technologies and their technical knowhow to harness some of the things we have in Nigeria and put them into proper economic use.
“We saw it as an opportunity to inform our people, we are blessed by our population.
“We are blessed mentally and with earthling resources; what do we need to get earthling-wealth? We need technology, Israel has it, they do not have earthling resources but we have in Nigeria,” he said.
The president of the forum also said that the organisation planned to establish NIBF branches in Lagos, Osun or Ekiti, Jos, and Enugu, and embark on mass literacy to achieve targets.
It also planned to bring Israeli technological experts to train Nigerians on agriculture and securities, about ways to advance economically and as well travel to Israel to gain requisite knowledge on moving Nigeria forward.
He, however, identified signing of the Nigeria-Israel bilateral economic agreement in 2009, to be an achievement that enabled Nigerians to own shops, register their business in Israel without any harassment.
The NIBF consists of 500 members across Nigeria with the aim bring together entrepreneurs, investors and marketplace professionals to advance national growth.
