国际英语新闻：D8 Commission establishes Preferential Trade Agreement

He said the agreement would, among other things, promote global trade and investment as the scope applied to trade in goods, phases of tariff reduction as contained in the D8 road map.

The roadmap aims to encourage greater economic cooperation among member states through the mobilization of resources from the government and private sources in implementing D8 projects.

The minister, who expressed the government's renewed efforts in creating an investment friendly environment, said that opportunities exist in the areas of industrial development, transportation, agriculture, tourism, solid minerals, energy, ICT and oil and gas among others.

Also speaking, Secretary-General of the D8 Federation of Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Mines Abdoleza Hanjani, said the private sector must be encouraged to participate in D8 programs, while describing them as the drivers of the economy.

Hanjani, who said that the PTA is a positive development, urged the commission to address issues of visa and free movement, noting that they still pose a challenge to economic development.

Nigeria's has two- year tenure as chairman of the group.