LAGOS – The Minister of State for Development, Francophonie and International Partnerships, France,HE. Chrysoula Zacharopoulou, has stated that France will invest €1.2million to create job opportunities for Nigerian entrepreneurs in cultural field.
Zacharopoulou, who was in Nigeria to represent the French Government at the inauguration of Nigeria’s 16th President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, used the visit to connect with Lagos state authorities and Kwara state government.
France Representative HE. Chrysoula Zacharopoulou
Zacharopoulou said:” the other theme at the heart of my visit was our partnership in the field of Creative and cultural industries.
Cooperation with Nigeria, the heart of the continent for music, creative industries, art and innovation, is paramount for us.
“We know that culture can be a great opportunity for job creation and local development. And we want to develop such opportunities together.
“We have a wide network of Alliance françaises all across Nigeria. And I know that Large Nigerian delegations come to France for major cultural events.
“In Ilorin, I visited the innovation hub, where the Alliance Française will soon be, and the future visual arts center, which both demonstrate the firm desire of the local government to develop cultural industries.
“In Ilorin, I had the pleasure to meet the governor, and we concretely strengthened our partnership by signing two new cooperations: one for agricultural production and one for the development of francophonie.
“And the meeting with extremely inspiring actors from the cultural sector, at the beautiful Alliance Française in Lagos, I was honored to announce the creation of a new fund to support cultural entrepreneurship here, particularly in the fields of fashion and design.
“This means that France will invest €1.2 million to support Nigerian entrepreneurs in the cultural field, and we are proud to do so.
“And talking about cultural cooperation, I was happy to sign new partnerships, in Ilorin and Lagos, for the promotion of the French language, of francophony.
“I always say that French is a language of opportunities, for exchanges, mobility, and business. I am happy to see more and more Nigerians seizing this opportunity every day.
Zacharopoulou, however, said: “I am very happy to be here with you in Lagos, after four extremely rich days of visit here.
“You all know how important Nigeria is to President Macron. He came here as a student. He came back in 2018, for a historic visit that brought a great acceleration to our partnership. It is a country he loves and a partner he considers absolutely central for France.
“So he asked me to come to underline and strengthen the relation of friendship, and partnership that links France and Nigeria.
“We are facing common challenges. We have common values. And together, we are building common solutions.
“My visit here aimed to discuss this partnership, and to strengthen it. Over these last few days, I had the honor to visit three cities, Abuja, Ilorin and Lagos, across three states”
(Source: independent.ng)
