Jonathan Leaves For Dakar, African Union Summit

President Goodluck Jonathan will depart Abuja Saturday evening for Dakar as the head of Nigeria’s delegation to the African Union Summit on Financing Infrastructure Development scheduled to hold in the Senegalese capital on Sunday.

A statement by the president’s spokesperson, Reuben Abati, said Mr. Jonathan entourage will include the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and the Minister of Industries, Trade and Investment, Olusegun Aganga.

“The President and other participants at the Summit which has been convened under the auspices of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) will also brainstorm on the mobilisation of domestic financial resources for infrastructure development, the creation of conducive policy environments to enhance investments in infrastructure development and the leveraging of Public-Private Partnerships for continental infrastructure transformation.

“The summit is expected to pay particular attention to the evolution of fresh strategies for the financing of high priority infrastructure projects such as regional road and rail networks, power supply and ports development”.

President Jonathan, who will also be accompanied by the Minister of Works, Mike Onolememen, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Nurudeen Mohammed, and his Special Adviser on NEPAD, Fidelia Njeze, is expected to return to Abuja at the conclusion of the summit on Sunday.