The president also emphasizes the importance of the economy, anti-corruption, and security for development.
According to President Muhammadu Buhari, peace and development are mutually beneficial. Therefore, neither can exist without the other.
The Director General of the Arab Bank for Economic Development, Dr. Sid Ould Tah, was given audience by the President on Thursday at State House in Abuja.
President Buhari said the work of the Arab Bank for Economic Development is “very critical” and “in fact, a major catalyst and tool for achieving our overall objective as leaders on the continent.” President Buhari received an award for promoting African peace from the Abu Dhabi Peace Forum on Tuesday in Nouakchott, Mauritania.
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The president praised the bank for its investment in Nigeria and highlighted improvements in the agricultural sector with regard to mechanisms for ensuring food security, capacity development, and integrated infrastructure projects.
He added that security, the economy, and anti-corruption have been the present administration’s main priorities. He said that all three are essential “to accomplishing our total development objective, not just as a country but more significantly as a continent.”
President Buhari said that a country’s problems affect other countries as well. “This has been clearly shown in our fight against the tyranny of terrorists,” he said. “They have spread across the whole West African sub-region and are starting to show up in some parts of our sister countries in East and Central Africa.”
The president urged the Arab Bank for Economic Development to review the amount of capital it can inject into various economies, noting that doing so helped Nigeria remain resilient during the last two global economic and public health crises. “As we stare at the various issues that would confront our economies, this would lead to greater impact,” the President said.
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Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum, the governor of Borno State, thanked the president for helping to make the area safer. He said, “We now get grants for livestock farming, gum Arabic production, and infrastructure, and I think the Arab Bank for Economic Development will give Nigeria even more chances.”
Dr. Ould Tah thanked President Buhari for receiving the peacebuilding award and said it was evidence of his work to foster amity in Nigeria and throughout Africa.
He stated that the Bank has a close relationship with Nigeria and would love to do more in a variety of areas, including wheat farming, the production of gum Arabic, veterinary support services, and the advancement of women and young people.
