By Progress Godfrey

ABUJA – Ambassador-designate to Germany, Senator Ita Enang, has urged his colleagues to engage the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning for a clearer understanding of Nigeria’s economic and development priorities.

He said such engagement would strengthen understanding of national development needs and improve coordination with partner countries in line with Nigeria’s economic diplomacy goals.

Enang spoke in Abuja at the weekend during a courtesy visit to the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Bagudu, and Minister of State, Dr Doris Uzoka-Anite.

“Similar engagements by other ambassadors-designate and diplomatic representatives before their deployment to missions worldwide will provide valuable insights into Nigeria’s policy priorities and development aspirations,” he said.

He expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu for his appointment as Ambassador-Designate to Germany, noting that the briefing formed part of a presidential directive requiring envoys to engage relevant ministries before deployment.

He commended the ministry for providing a comprehensive overview of Nigeria’s economic planning framework, development priorities and international cooperation agenda.

Welcoming the ambassador-designate, Bagudu commended Enang for engaging with the ministry to better understand its mandate and its role in national development planning.

He said the briefing highlighted the ministry’s strategic function as coordinator of national development priorities and policy alignment across government.

Bagudu said the ministry ensures coherence in programmes and investments while tracking global economic trends to identify opportunities for Nigeria’s growth.

He stressed the need to align international partnerships, investment flows and bilateral cooperation with long-term frameworks such as the Nigeria Agenda 2050 and the National Development Plan.

The minister added that sustained engagement with countries such as Germany remained key to Nigeria’s ambition of building a one trillion dollar economy through investment, technology transfer and development partnerships.