President Jonathan Travels To Dakar For Summit On Financing Infrastructure Devt In Africa

BEVERLY HILLS, CA, June 14, (THEWILL) - President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan will depart Abuja Saturday evening for Dakar at the head of Nigeria's delegation to the African Union's Summit on Financing Infrastructure Development scheduled to hold in the Senegalese capital tomorrow.

President Jonathan whose entourage will include the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and the Minister of Industries, Trade and Investment, Dr. Olusegun Aganga, will join other participating Heads of State and Government, representatives of the United Nations, the African Union, global financial institutions and leading investors in deliberations at the summit aimed at accelerating the implementation of key priority infrastructure projects within the framework of the African Union's Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa.

The President and other participants at the Summit which has been convened under the auspices of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) , according to a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, 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, Mr. Mike Onolememen, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Nurudeen Mohammed and his Special Adviser on NEPAD, Ambassador Fidelia Njeze, is expected back in Abuja at the conclusion of the summit on Sunday.