Global Gateway: EU earmarks €150bn for Nigeria, other African countries

Nigeria and other African countries will receive 150 billion euros in the next four years from the European Union’s (EU) Global Gateway initiative to advance economic and infrastructural development, according to the EU Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen.

Nigeria, along with other African countries, will benefit from the initiative until 2027. The Global Gateway initiative was crafted to enhance connectivity, promote sustainable development, and strengthen economic ties between the EU and its partner countries.

Through the Gateway initiative, the EU will support Nigeria in achieving enhanced infrastructure connectivity, including transport, energy, and digital networks.

It will also support agriculture, economic growth, health, and education while promoting sustainable development and environmental protection. The initiative aims to foster cooperation and partnerships with Nigeria and other partner countries.

During the official launch of the Global Gateway initiative in Abuja on Thursday, the EU Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen, noted that Nigeria will play a prominent role in the initiative’s investment package.

“We are living in an increasingly fragmented world. The war that Russia started against Ukraine last year, the military takeover in Niger in July, and the escalation in the Israel-Palestine conflict are stark reminders of that.

“In such a world, the Global Gateway strategy is our positive offer to build resilient connections in the world through strategic partnerships to jointly address the challenges of our times, from fighting climate change to improving health systems.

“Together, we intend to mobilise 300 billion euros in investments by the year 2027, with half of them designated for Africa. For Africa, it will be 150 billion euros by the year 2027. When it comes to Nigeria, Nigeria features prominently in the Global Gateway investment package,” she said.

The EU Commissioner also announced the EU’s support for the 5G rollout in Nigeria and its efforts to support the digital economy, including a potential loan to support small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the digital and print sectors.

The EU has committed financial resources to support the energy sector, including the establishment of mini-grids and small hydropower plants for productive and public purposes.

She emphasised the importance of education as a transformative investment and launched the Empowerment in North Western Nigeria Project, which aims to promote quality basic education in the northern regions. Nigeria is also a major beneficiary of the student mobility and higher education cooperation project under Erasmus+, with over 2,020 students from Nigeria being granted scholarships for studying in the EU last year.

Global Gateway reinforces the EU-Nigeria partnership, and the EU aims to work together with the government, member states, civil society organisations, and the business community to achieve shared prosperity.

In response to the announcement, the Minister of Communication, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, noted that initiatives like the Global Gateway, aimed at achieving collective regional and global prosperity, are in full alignment with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda.

He emphasised that the core of this administration’s agenda is a developed Nigeria that is not only for a few but for all, providing the government with the opportunity to actualise its plans in sectors that it wants to focus on.

He said, “Africa’s relationship with Europe has deep historical roots and has been built on years of shared values, collaboration, and mutual respect.

While we enjoy geographical proximity, we also have increasingly intertwined cultures and, more importantly, a shared future. As we seek a better future together, we can only fully realise this dream by leveraging the ties that we have always had.

“We can build a more resilient world. If we empower and enable Africa to leverage its resources to contribute to the world while strengthening its local economies, on the other hand, working together with the EU gives us the opportunity to leverage its structure and historical resources to do more for the world, specifically for Africa.

“For us in the Ministry of Communication, Innovation, and Digital Economy, our role takes on further significance as we have a portfolio that will be central to all we want to achieve under the Global Gateway programme.

“Nigeria is a country that is extremely blessed; not only are we blessed with natural resources that can provide opportunities for us to help meet global challenges, including food security, but we are also blessed with a very young, agile population.

“As a continent, Africa is blessed with a population of about 40 per cent of young people under the age of 25, which is extremely exciting. Nigeria, in particular, is blessed with about 60 per cent of our population being under the age of 25.

This population of young people are digital natives. Our government’s investment is providing opportunities for these young people to participate in the global economy.

While doing that, we are conscious of the fact that these resources are not only for the development of Nigeria but also for the development of the world as a whole.”

The EU is committed to a long-term partnership with Nigeria under the Global Gateway to achieve shared goals and objectives.

The EU’s long-term commitment will see investments into various sectors in the country, including Agriculture (€42,000,000), Energy (€37,000,000), Health (€45,000,000), Digital (€55,000,000), Education (€45,000,000), and Social Protection (€46,000,000).

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