“Had a very productive discussion with President Tinubu. We talked about adding momentum to our strategic partnership. There is immense scope for ties to flourish even further in sectors like defence, energy, technology, trade, health, education and more,” Prime Minister Modi wrote on social media platform X.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the two leaders expressed satisfaction at the progress of ties and agreed that there was immense potential for collaboration in the fields of trade, investment, education, energy, health, culture, and people-to-people ties.
Prime Minister Modi offered India’s experience in agriculture, transportation, affordable medicine, renewable energy, and digital transformation to Nigeria. On the other hand, President Tinubu appreciated the development cooperation partnership offered by India and its meaningful impact in creating local capacities, skills, and professional expertise.
The two leaders also discussed enhancing defence and security cooperation. They reaffirmed their commitment to jointly fighting terrorism, piracy and radicalisation, the MEA stated.
Additionally, Prime Minister Modi and President Tinubu discussed global and regional issues. President Tinubu acknowledged India’s efforts to amplify the concerns of developing countries through the Voice of the Global South Summits. The two leaders agreed to work together to meet the development aspirations of the Global South. Prime Minister Modi appreciated the role played by Nigeria as the Chair of ECOWAS and its contribution to multilateral and plurilateral bodies. Alluding to Nigeria’s membership of the International Solar Alliance and the International Big Cat Alliance, Prime Minister Modi invited President Tinubu to join other pro-planet green initiatives launched by India.
Following the talks, three Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) – on Cultural Exchange Programme, Customs Cooperation and Survey Cooperation – were signed.
Prime Minister Modi is on a five-day, three-nation visit to Nigeria, Brazil, and Guyana. This is the first visit by a Prime Minister of India to Nigeria in 17 years.
In his departure statement on Saturday (November 16, 2024), Prime Minister Modi said his trip to Nigeria will be an opportunity to build upon “our Strategic Partnership that is based on shared belief in democracy and pluralism.”
Prime Minister Modi’s visit comes less than two weeks after India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and his Nigerian counterpart Nuhu Ribadu met in New Delhi on November 5, 2024 for the Second Strategic and Counter-Terrorism Dialogue. During their meeting, the two sides identified specific areas of cooperation to enhance their fight against all forms of terrorism.
Earlier, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited Nigeria in January this year and held extensive discussions on the bilateral relationship between the two sides.
India and Nigeria enjoy warm, friendly, and deep-rooted bilateral relations. India established its Diplomatic House in Lagos in November 1958, two years before Nigeria became independent in 1960. Defence cooperation and trade ties are integral to the bilateral relationship between India and Nigeria, which was elevated to the level of a ‘Strategic Partnership’ during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Nigeria in October 2007.
As per official data, in 2022, India figured amongst the top five trading partners of Nigeria. India-Nigeria bilateral trade stood at USD 11,852 million in 2022-23.
According to the MEA, India is emerging as a development partner of Nigeria on two fronts – by offering developmental assistance through concessional loans and by offering capacity building training programmes.
