Fashola Urges Singaporean Entrepreneurs to Invest in Nigeria
Mr. Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State has advocated a further nurturing of the business relationship between Nigeria and Singapore through visits by Singaporean entrepreneurs to Lagos and Nigeria.
Fashola, who spoke last week, at the Lagos House, Ikeja where he played host to Mr. Shabbir Hassanbhai, Singaporean High Commissioner to Nigeria, said such visits would also enable the entrepreneurs to know and acquaint themselves with the environment in which they want to invest. According to the governor, “the biggest impediment now probably, if that is the right word to use, is the very slow movement of Singaporean entrepreneurs outside their own shores. Leaving their shores and coming here will enable them to see the environment in which they expectedly want to invest.”
Also while accepting an invitation by the High Commissioner to speak at an Africa-Singapore Business Forum coming up mid next year in Singapore, Fashola again suggested that such a forum be held in rotation between Africa and Singapore to act as a vehicle of interchange of knowledge and nurturing of business relationships. “I think, maybe if we begin to have this kind of fora in rotation, it will facilitate the crossing of channels and direct contact with the people and the place rather than dealing with them on laptops and telephones”, he said. Fashola charged the High Commissioner to take it as an assignment “to get Singaporean entrepreneurs to actually leave the shores and comfort of their country and really go and see the world, particularly Lagos and many parts of Nigeria.” Acknowledging that he has been a beneficiary of Singaporean hospitality and business efficiency, the governor declared, “many members of my team have been largely inspired by what you have done in your country and we have been back here since that very first contact trying to surpass ourselves as it were and the Singaporean ethos of work still runs very deep in this government and we will continue to keep that alive.”
Fashola also called for the deepening of relationships between Lagos and Singapore in the area of medical knowledge and capacities pointing out that by the time his administration completes a few of the state’s specialist health facilities it would require training and capacity building in the health sector.
“I have seen the advances and frontiers of Medical Science in Singapore,” he said. I have also had cause to know people who have benefited from the opportunity and I think that with the level of facilities that we are developing here, it wouldn’t be difficult to create an exchange of personnel when we can have your people come and work with us and help develop the knowledge that we have,” the governor said.
Fashola, who spoke last week, at the Lagos House, Ikeja where he played host to Mr. Shabbir Hassanbhai, Singaporean High Commissioner to Nigeria, said such visits would also enable the entrepreneurs to know and acquaint themselves with the environment in which they want to invest. According to the governor, “the biggest impediment now probably, if that is the right word to use, is the very slow movement of Singaporean entrepreneurs outside their own shores. Leaving their shores and coming here will enable them to see the environment in which they expectedly want to invest.”
Also while accepting an invitation by the High Commissioner to speak at an Africa-Singapore Business Forum coming up mid next year in Singapore, Fashola again suggested that such a forum be held in rotation between Africa and Singapore to act as a vehicle of interchange of knowledge and nurturing of business relationships. “I think, maybe if we begin to have this kind of fora in rotation, it will facilitate the crossing of channels and direct contact with the people and the place rather than dealing with them on laptops and telephones”, he said. Fashola charged the High Commissioner to take it as an assignment “to get Singaporean entrepreneurs to actually leave the shores and comfort of their country and really go and see the world, particularly Lagos and many parts of Nigeria.” Acknowledging that he has been a beneficiary of Singaporean hospitality and business efficiency, the governor declared, “many members of my team have been largely inspired by what you have done in your country and we have been back here since that very first contact trying to surpass ourselves as it were and the Singaporean ethos of work still runs very deep in this government and we will continue to keep that alive.”
Fashola also called for the deepening of relationships between Lagos and Singapore in the area of medical knowledge and capacities pointing out that by the time his administration completes a few of the state’s specialist health facilities it would require training and capacity building in the health sector.
“I have seen the advances and frontiers of Medical Science in Singapore,” he said. I have also had cause to know people who have benefited from the opportunity and I think that with the level of facilities that we are developing here, it wouldn’t be difficult to create an exchange of personnel when we can have your people come and work with us and help develop the knowledge that we have,” the governor said.
