ISLAMABAD, Nov 23: Nigeria will host trade talks among the Developing Eight (D-8) in February as part of efforts to increase business within member states and Africa, Nigeria’s trade and investment minister said.

“I will be hosting the trade and industry ministers from the D-8 countries sometime around February next year to come up with a strategic plan on how we can increase trade within the D-8,” Olusegun Aganga told reporters.

Mr Aganga, who held talks with his Egyptian counterpart on the margins of the D-8 summit here, said there were plans to boost trade within Africa. Nigeria and Egypt are the only African members of the D-8.

“The outcome of our meeting is that we felt it was important that the ministers of trade and industry come together to look at how we can work together to promote trade but first within the D-8 countries,” Mr Aganga said.

He said African intra trade was very small at 12 per cent, compared to Europe at more than 60 per cent and about that or more in Asia.

He said Nigeria had also agreed to host a meeting with Egypt, Kenya and South Africa next year to look at how to increase trade.

“This is an opportunity for Africa to come together and increase the intra trade in Africa. It must also be a target to significantly increase the intra trade within D-8.”—AFP