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Poland eyes business with Africa in wake of Russian invasion of Ukraine

30.03.2022 19:30
Trying to wean itself off Russian coal, Poland is looking further afield, including to markets in Africa, where Polish-Nigerian energy cooperation is gaining momentum.
Audio
Image by Pete Linforth from Pixabay
Image by Pete Linforth from Pixabay TheDigitalArtist/pixabay.com/Pixabay License

Poland is seeking to be one of the first in Europe to cut itself off from Russian energy.

Nigeria is the second-largest economy in Africa. The Nigerian market offers opportunities for Polish companies in sectors such as mining, energy, IT, maritime and agri-food.

With some economies in recession and the Russia-Ukraine war raging in Europe, "gold is a safe haven for investors," Fatima Shinkafi, CEO of Nigeria's Sovereign Mining Fund, told Danuta Isler during the Poland-Africa Forum in Dubai earlier this week.

Other options include "earth minerals, platinum and minerals that we might have gotten from Russia, agro-minerals like phosphates that will now be difficult because of the supply logistics," she added.

"Also, about 20 percent of the world's production of nickel came from Russia, so intervention in that supply chain is necessary," Shinkafi said.

Fatima Shinkafi Fatima Shinkafi. Photo: Danuta Isler/Radio Poland

Click on the audio player above to listen to the interview.