Sweden and Switzerland have pledged their support for the development of Nigeria’s power infrastructure with Asea Brown Boveri (ABB) Nigeria Ltd, a global leader and multinational corporation in power and automation technology, playing its leading role.
Ambassador Eric Mayoraz of Switzerland to Nigeria and his Swedish counterpart, Mr. Svante Kilander, pledged their support when they accompanied Mr Mohammed Hosseiny, Managing Director of ABB on a courtesy visit to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
Amb. Kilander told State House correspondents after the visit that the team had a fruitful discussion with the vice president.
“We assured the vice president that the Swedish and Swiss governments are fully behind the activities of ABB power company in their activities in Nigeria.
“There is a full government support for this Swedish/Swiss company.’’
The envoy described the relations between Nigeria and Sweden as excellent, saying: “We are happy to be able to promote not only government-to-government relations, but also the relations between Swedish and Nigerian companies.
“This is where development is taking place, where Nigeria is in such a dynamic stage as it is now under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari and the Vice President,’’ Kilander said.
Also, Mayoraz told State House correspondents that Switzerland would support the development initiatives of the Buhari administration.
“Switzerland, like Sweden, is committed to supporting the new development policy of the new administration of President Buhari and we are supporting our companies that are willing to invest in development activities here in Nigeria.’’
He declined comment on the challenges facing Nigeria, saying it was the right of Nigerians to assess what the government was doing.
The ambassador acknowledged that Switzerland and Sweden have excellent bi-lateral relations, saying: “If we can try to cooperate for the success of the development of Nigeria, we will be very pleased.’’
In his contribution, Mr Mohammed Hosseiny, the Country Managing Director, ABB, said the meeting was about how the company could play a role in providing Nigeria with power for the development of infrastructure.
He added that the discussion focused on the nature of solutions ABB had to support the development in both areas as a follow-up to the visit of its Group CEO to Nigeria on Monday.
“He (Group CEO) was really impressed with the opportunities and the development of the country and we were in discussion on how ABB can play a role in this support for Nigeria for the development of the power infrastructure.’’
The managing director said that the response of the vice president was very positive.
“He is aware of the company and he has stressed the need to move forward to the next steps in this power and infrastructure development,’’ he said.
ABB is a joint venture power generation and transmission partnership between Switzerland and Sweden.
ABB is back in Nigeria, plans to invest in power infrastructure, others
Meanwhile, Asea Brown Boveri (ABB) Nigeria Ltd, the global leader and multinational corporation in power and automation technology and subsidiary of the global Switzerland/Sweden ABB Group has officially announced its presence and relocation back to Nigeria for business.
ABB has resolved to strengthen commitments to Nigeria’s economic development, thus playing an outstanding role in providing the right solutions as well as harnessing its innovation.
Mr Ulrich Spiesshofer, Global Group Chief Executive Officer, who spoke at a media round-table at the Swiss Embassy in Abuja after meeting Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential villa and key officers of the National Assembly, ‘‘our moving back to Africa is a strategic decision for ABB.
“We are focusing on Nigeria, investing in people and increasing our presence and footprint to explore the untapped potentials in Nigeria. We are bringing state-of-the-art products, solutions and latest technology to deploy in many technical areas Nigerian needs, as well as investing in Nigerians to secure sustainability.’’
According to ABB’s newly appointed Country Managing Director, Mohammed Hosseiny, who was transferred from Egypt, “We believe we can be the right partner for Nigeria in its quest for prosperity and growth. Moreover, Nigeria for us is a door-opener for huge opportunities and mutual interest in expansion and development.’’
The Group Senior Vice President, who doubles as the Head of Corporate Communications Christoph Sieder said, “Emerging and developing markets are the secrets behind growth and we aim to grow sustainably. Nigeria requires power and robust infrastructure to attain its goals in the welfare of the people and attract foreign investments.
“ABB’s expansion to Nigeria demonstrates our commitment to the country’s new policy and resolve for a stable power system. With efforts by the new administration to address the increased demand for electricity resulting from economic growth necessitating capacity expansion and upgrade of the nation’s power infrastructure, aimed at strengthening its industrial base and fuelling economic growth, our homecoming is timely.
“Our expansion reaffirms ABB’s commitment to Nigeria as a key growth market and an important resource base, while our focus in Nigeria will continue to be on organic growth, which we will drive by increasing our investment in technology and our team, expanding our local footprint, and strengthening our operations in line with the country’s objectives.
“The investment is part of ABB’s next level strategy, which aims to accelerate sustainable value creation for our customers and shareholders. ABB’s advanced technologies will help to enhance the capacity of the Nigeria’s electricity grid, bringing more energy to meet growing commercial and residential demand.
“We are proud to contribute to Nigeria’s efforts and the strengthening of its power infrastructure,” he said.
By working with strategic partners in government and the private sector, ABB seeks to develop the most advanced transmission and distribution network in the world to deliver the best services to the citizens and residents of Nigeria.
“We have achieved world record results surpassing the private sector and leading European and American companies in efficiency and reliability. This is demonstrated by reducing losses in the electricity transmission and distribution networks in 2014 to just 3.2 per cent, compared to 6-7 per cent in the European Union and the US. Nigeria cannot afford to be left out,” Spiesshofer said.
NAN