Nigeria’s Foreign and Aviation Ministers will host the third Expatriates Business Awards next month, in Abuja to highlight the economic role of foreign businesses and diplomatic missions in the country’s development.
The ceremony is set for August 20 at the Rotunda Hall of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with Foreign Affairs Minister Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu serving as chief host and Aviation and Aerospace Development Minister Festus Keyamo as host.
The event’s guest list also includes top ministry officials, diplomats and business leaders, the organizers said.
Odunola Abayomi, Director of the awards, described the ceremony as a milestone for “strengthening Nigeria’s relationship with the international business community.”
In a statement she said the awards recognize expatriate investors, foreign missions and migrant communities whose investments and partnerships “create jobs, promote technology transfer and stimulate sustainable economic growth.”
The awards, now a trademarked initiative, will include prize presentations, cultural exhibitions and networking sessions intended to showcase Nigeria’s cultural diversity and to encourage increased foreign participation in the country’s investment landscape, organizers said.
The event will be attended by Permanent Secretaries from both Ministries and an array of diplomats and private-sector figures.
Organizers have promised an evening of “elegance, diplomacy, celebration and meaningful engagement,” positioning the ceremony as both a recognition platform and a forum for reinforcing bilateral and multilateral ties.
