By Abubakar Yunusa
Dindembolo-Zaya Kuyena, Canadian trade commissioner to Nigeria, says Canada is collaborating with Nigeria on a trade policy.
Kuyena spoke on Thursday in Lagos during the launch of Meetings+, a video conferencing platform, designed by MTN Nigeria, in collaboration with Zoom and SpeechLogix for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
Kuyena said Canada considers Nigeria to be a significant economic partner on the African continent, stressing that partnership is important in driving innovation.
“Without a doubt, Nigeria is one of Canada’s most important economic partners in Africa, promoting trade and investment relationships between Canada and Nigeria,” the commissioner said.
“And to support, very critical, Nigeria’s economic recovery is a priority for the Canadian government.
“In 2002, Nigeria became Canada’s second largest trading partner in Africa, with 2.2 billion in bilateral merchants’ trade.
“Nigeria is also the largest African foreign investor into Canada, with $1.7 billion in trade, as per 2021 data and Canadian direct investment in Nigeria is estimated at approximately just under 500 million and I am pushing for that to increase over the coming years.
“It is important to note that Canada is actively collaborating in (sic) Nigeria on trade policy, including negotiation and agreements to enhance market access and investment flow.”
Kuyena said the Canadian government has only touched the surface in terms of trade potential and partnerships like the one between MTN Nigeria and SpeechLogix.
Speaking on the video conferencing platform, Lynda Saint-Nwafor, MTN’s chief enterprise business officer, said Meetings+ is designed to address and diverse evolving needs of businesses.
She said the platform facilitates seamless communication, enhances productivity, and drives innovation.
The MTN official commended the collaborative efforts of Zoom and SpeechLogix, noting that their partnership was instrumental in shaping the video conferencing platform into a robust and innovative solution tailored to the needs of modern businesses.
“We are not merely introducing a new product into the market, we are unwrapping a transformative solution that will reshape the way businesses can age,” Saint-Nwafor said.
“With meetings+, organisations can transcend geographical boundaries, break down communication barriers and foster meaningful connections that propel growth and success.
“Whether it bridges the gap between teams, facilitating global partnerships or enabling new time decision making, Meetings+ empowers businesses to thrive in a digital landscape.”
Also speaking, Haitham El-Hanafi, head of sales at SpeechLogix, said the collaboration with MTN on designing the product was a great decision, adding that there would be upgrades in the future.
He said SpeechLogix is considering working fully with the MTN team to fully understand the market needs and what can be done to match with the SMEs, noting that “the future is yet to start”.
