Lagos, Bulgaria to partner on agriculture, food security, commerce

Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Monday said the State is ready to partner with Bulgaria in agriculture, food security, commerce and other critical areas for the benefit of the citizens.

Governor Sanwo-Olu spoke during a courtesy visit by the Ambassador of Bulgaria to Nigeria, Mr Yanko V. Yordanov, at the Lagos House, Ikeja.

The Governor said Lagos, a former capital of Nigeria, has a long history with Bulgaria, and the State Government will advance conversation to improve the mutually beneficial relationship.

“We know that agriculture and food security are very critical to every country right now. We have seen a lot of global disruption; there have been a lot of logistic nightmares in Europe and other parts of the world. So, we all need to be able to think outside of the box on how we can efficiently utilise our input and expected output from our food security initiatives.

“We have a massive logistics hub that we are building that we believe will help to safely keep Lagos on the map of regions and cities that are not just paying lip service to food security. Let us see how we can further develop the partnership between Bulgaria and Lagos on agriculture,” he said.

Governor Sanwo-Olu, who expressed his administration’s commitment to providing an enabling business environment and ease of business for any country willing to invest in Lagos State, said the State Government is ready to advance conversation in business, trade and investment.

He also promised to support the Nigerian-Bulgarian Business Council when it becomes fully operational. “The Nigerian-Bulgarian Business Council is long overdue, and it is something that we will love to support and encourage whenever that Council is given life. We will always want to support and encourage such a business council.

“There are things we can develop further. I am hoping that your tenure and time as the Bulgarian Ambassador to Nigeria will further deepen the relationship between the two countries, and it will grow on a mutually beneficial basis,” the Governor said.

Speaking earlier, the Ambassador of Bulgaria to Nigeria, Mr. Yanko V. Yordanov, said his country is interested in engaging and seeking partnership with Lagos for more cooperation, noting that Bulgaria is willing to partner with Lagos on agriculture and food security.

He said Bulgaria, which already had a good relationship with Lagos State, is willing to deepen investments in trade and development, football, aviation, cosmetics, and many other projects.

“We are making very good progress in establishing the Nigerian-Bulgarian Business Council that would be headed by a renowned Lagosian, and there would be a reciprocal organisation in Bulgaria, which will be the Nigerian-Bulgarian Business Council. We can also focus further on agriculture and security. We are interested in establishing bigger cooperation with Lagos State,” he said.