Bulgarian trade delegation to visit Nigeria to boost economic ties

A trade delegation from Bulgaria will visit Nigeria soon, in order to improve economic ties between both countries, a statement by the Nigerian presidency said Thursday. On the sidelines of the fourth European Union (EU) -Africa Summit held in Brussels, capital of Belgium, President Goodluck Jonathan and President Rosen Plevneliev of Bulgaria both met and endorsed the visit, said the statement signed by presidential spokesman Reuben Abati. The statement quoted the Nigerian leader as saying "let us increase trade and investment between the two countries", adding "Nigeria has a vast area for investment and we believe we must add value to gas and crude oil which is the only way to create jobs". According to the statement, Jonathan also said his administration had been encouraging the private sector to invest more in the economy, urging the two countries to revitalize the Nigeria-Bulgaria Bi-National Commission (NBBNC), which had its last meeting in 1989. A cordial bilateral relation between both countries dated back to the 1970s, a period in which the prestigious National Arts Theater, described as a national monument and located in Nigeria's southwestern state of Lagos, was built by a Bulgarian company. The Nigerian leader also acknowledged efforts of some Bulgarian companies in equipping Nigerian secondary schools for technical education in that era of blossoming bilateral relations between the West African country and the European country.