Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information and Culture, said the federal government would explore the American International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) to find funds for the development of its infrastructure.
Mohammed spoke in Washington on Saturday after meeting with Johnnie Carson, senior adviser at the American Institute for Peace.
The DFC is the development finance institution of the United States federal government, primarily responsible for providing and facilitating the financing of private development projects in low- and middle-income countries.
Speaking to NAN after the meeting, the minister said the decision was based on the suggestion of Carson, a former US assistant secretary of state for African affairs.
“In my brief I explained to Ambassador Carson that it would appear that most of the infrastructure development in Nigeria today is funded by a loan and a facility and I can see that the United States is missing something “Mohammed said.
“He replied that there is good news as the last administration approved the DFC which only guarantees loans to developing countries.
“He said that DFCs also go a step further to make funding available for certain projects in developing countries and even allow them to take equity in funding certain projects.
“So I told him we were going to pursue this.
“I will discuss this with my colleague, the Minister of Finance, because what the ambassador is saying is that this is another opportunity that we must explore.”
The minister said the meeting with the American diplomat, who had served as his country’s ambassador to several African countries, enabled him to present a number of social, economic and security issues relating to Nigeria.
“I presented the progress we have made in the field of combating banditry, insurgency, COVID-19, corruption and corrected the false news that Muslims are persecuting Christians,” he said. he added.
“For him it was like preaching to converts because he has a vast knowledge of Africa, Nigeria in particular. “
According to NAN, the minister is in the United States to engage with various global media, think tanks and global influencers.
The commitment is to enable the Minister to convey “the right stories” about what is happening in Nigeria, to present the achievements of the government and the current challenges facing the country.
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