 Sir Abu Bakr Taffar Baleor, Nigeria's post-independence prime minister, in 1963, on the occasion of the establishment of the Organization of African Unity, said, and I quote, I think we will arrive at a very successful establishment of the African Common Market, because it is good for African trade. For example, the interstate trade in Africa is temperature, while 90% is done with other countries outside Africa. There is no reason why we should not increase interstate trading on this continent. End of quote. Taffar Baleor spoke for minds of many African leaders then and now. This is why this first African trade fair is an extra special event for us. It is the beginning of the coming to pass of one of Africa's favorite treaties, increasing intra-African trade, trade between and amongst ourselves in pragmatic and sustainable ways, and for also enabling us to live our dreams and the hopes and aspirations of our founding fathers. We must commend and thank the African Union and the African Bank for organizing, and the government and people of Egypt for hosting this trade fair and the excellent facilities that have been placed at our disposal. Therefore, it is with great pride that we celebrate the dreams of Abubaka Taffar Baleor and all the fathers of our continent as we take part in this first ever intra-African trade fair. Nature places a high premium on the economic integration of the continent, and we recognize also trade as a very double tool towards the Africa we all want, an industrialized, prosperous, and peaceful Africa where we generate enough opportunities to accommodate the growing numbers of our people. The numbers entering the job market here in Africa is daunting, and it is clear that increased intra-African trade is one of the surest ways of creating the jobs that are so desperately needed. Therefore, this intra-African trade fair, bringing together business communities including innovators and creators, both in the merchandise and services industry from the 55 African Union members and beyond, is a remarkable achievement in and of itself. In order to increase trade, we in Nigeria tasked ourselves to diversify our export basket. This became one of our many policy priorities. Based on this focus, we modified and updated existing economic policies and also developed robust policies to facilitate the diversification of our economy. Today we have come to the intra-African trade fair with a delegation of policymakers and services, market operators, who have an array of goods and services that are as rich and as diverse as the people of our great nation. In the second quarter report of our Bureau of Statistics, services contributed approximately 54% to the GDP, with information and communication being the main drivers of growth. Clearly, one of the most remarkable developments in Nigeria's economic story is the phenomenal growth and depth of technology and innovation, with hundreds of new companies just laying for primacy in this fast-growing digital economy space. It's estimated that the digital economy in Nigeria would be worth $88 billion and add about 3 million jobs by 2021. So today we have come with some of our best digital entrepreneurs to exhibit their products and to start conversations around cooperation and partnerships that will jump-start the continental economy and create our own Facebooks, our own Googles and Amazons. We're going to have panel discussions to hear from operators in Nigeria regarding policy initiatives and how the protection of intellectual property can help Africa secure its place in the digital age. But perhaps as exciting is the phenomenal story of Nigeria's entertainment industry, Nollywood, now considered to be the third largest film industry in the world. The Africa-wide popularity of Nollywood poignantly demonstrates that our stories are the same, our hopes and aspirations are identical and so are our sense of fairness and justice and also our common attachment to the uplifting notions of love, of affection, of kindness and the victory of good over evil. So Nollywood is here with us in Cairo and I'm sure and I hope that you'll get to meet some of our best. I'm the cuisine, Nigeria's cuisine, especially Jalofrise and Eguisisu. These, as you know, are already winners on the continent, loved immediately by those whose palates encountered for the first time. We've even gotten into some controversy about our session that Nigeria's Jalofrise is the best. So we have brought with us some of our chefs to enable guests here today to have a first-hand experience. This evening you'll be treated to a live show and you'll have the unique opportunity of savoring some of our dishes, but we couldn't possibly be here without our world conquering the fashion industry. All over the world, the unique touches of Nigerian fashion are redefined by industry. The Nigerian fashion industry features internationally recognized labels and is a short takeaway by many who visit Nigeria. The phenomenal sell-out of our Nigerian football jersey designed by Nike is good evidence of the global acceptance and the delight in Nigerian fashion. There's also an opportunity for engagement today. We've not focused very much in this short speech on merchandise trade, mainly because its place is already loudly evident. But here today we have about 140 exhibitors showcasing different products, ranging from cars and armored trucks to leather, clothing, food, soap and beauty products. Well, well, what an event this promise is to be. And welcome you all to the Nigerian day. Thank you very much.