As dawn breaks over Brussels, our third Nigeria Belgium Luxembourg Business Forum draws to a close. One by one, we see our colleagues off. Some bound for the airport, others for a quiet tour of our beautiful Belgium and its neighbour Luxembourg. The city that just yesterday pulsed with dialogue and discovery now exhales in gratitude.
Looking back, this Forum was not merely an event. It was an awakening. It was a vivid demonstration of what happens when nations meet not to transact, but to transform. Over two days of compelling panels; from healthcare and education to agriculture, infrastructure, and technology; one unifying truth emerged: partnership is the new power, the new currency.
Our Closing Dinner on Thursday, 23 October, was the perfect crescendo. As glasses clinked, mingling with the aroma of egusi and Jollof rice, friendships deepened, we knew that those fireplace conversations held, would soon become contracts, collaborations, and catalysts. It was not farewell, but a beginning.
Then came the company visits. There, dialogue met practice. In Antwerp, under the capable leadership of my colleague Thomas De Beule, participants witnessed the remarkable operations of DEME Group, a global leader redefining sustainability in dredging, renewables, and marine infrastructure. There, Nigeria’s delegates saw not just technology in motion but partnership in action. That is the kind of partnership that can help power a greener future back home.
Meanwhile, in my adopted hometown of Ostend, I had the honour of leading a delegation to GEOxyz and the DronePort West-Vlaanderen, housed within the campus of the Ostend School of Aviation. What we witnessed there was nothing short of inspiring. Delegates saw firsthand unexplored potentials for collaboration in the blue economy, agribusiness, maritime innovation, and tech transfer. Delegates from both the private sector and the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development of Nigeria could feel the possibilities vibrating in the air. These encounters reminded us that the ocean between Belgium and Nigeria is not a barrier. It is a bridge waiting to be crossed.
On a personal note, this Forum transcended the realm of trade facilitation. It spoke to something deeper. And that is the delicate art of linking my birth country with my adopted homeland. To stand at that intersection, where cultures converge and common purpose flourishes, is to witness the very essence of economic diplomacy of the diaspora. That is the very same philosophy that inspired my upcoming book of the same title.
When I first approached my colleague, Silke Beirens about onboarding her office, Fabrieken van de Toekomst for the Business Forum, little did I know that the path will lead me to Stefaan Verhamme, International Affairs Manager at our West Flemish regional economic development company, POM-West-Vlaanderen. Stefaan proved with a formidable small group of regional talents he brought together to host our delegation in Ostend, that innovation is not about who has the biggest lab. It is about who has the boldest imagination. As I took a bite into the homemade garnalenkroket we were served while awaiting lunch, I thought to myself, what a bold imagination we have just witnessed at GEOxyz and the DroneDock!
As we close this chapter, I am filled with hope. Hope that the connections built in Brussels will ripple across Lagos, Abuja, Antwerp, and Ostend. Hope that the handshake between Africa and Europe will grow firmer, guided not by charity but by shared prosperity. And hope that each participant departs not with memories alone, but with a renewed mandate. That of turning dialogue into development. We now realise that innovation is a mindset, not a department. Together, Belgium and Nigeria can turn digital dreams into global realities. And we must keep the spark alive.
The 2025 edition of the Nigeria Belgium Luxembourg Business Forum has ended, but the journey continues. The conversation deepens. The bridges strengthen. Like I concluded in my closing remarks at the Panel Sessions, every panel spoke one language in all the sessions. They spoke the language of partnership. Whether in health, agriculture, infrastructure, or innovation, there is a clear universal message: no economy grows alone. And as always, I remain humbled to play my small part in growing them.
Credit: www.collinsnweke.eu
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