India accords high priority to its strategic partnership with Nigeria: PM Modi

Pic/X

India accords high priority to its strategic partnership with Nigeria, Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi said on Sunday, during his talks with Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The two leaders focused on strengthening bilateral ties in key sectors such as defence, trade, energy, and agriculture, news agency PTI reported.

During their meeting, the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to jointly combat terrorism, piracy, and radicalisation, and vowed to work together to address the aspirations of the Global South.

PM Modi arrived in Abuja early on Sunday, marking the first visit to Nigeria by an Indian Prime Minister in 17 years, PTI reported.

The PM offered India's expertise in areas such as agriculture, transportation, affordable medicine, renewable energy, and digital transformation to Nigeria, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.

In return, President Tinubu appreciated India's development cooperation efforts, highlighting their positive impact in building local capacities, skills, and professional expertise, PTI reported.

Terrorism, separatism, piracy, and drug trafficking major challenges: PM Modi

In the morning, PM Modi was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the presidential villa, complete with a 21-gun salute, after which he held a one-on-one meeting with President Tinubu. Later, the two leaders engaged in delegation-level talks.

In a post on social media platform X, PM Modi described the discussions with President Tinubu as "very productive," noting that both leaders were focused on adding momentum to the strategic partnership. "There is immense scope for ties to flourish even further in sectors like defence, energy, technology, trade, health, education, and more," he added.

Following the talks, three Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) were signed covering cultural exchange, customs cooperation, and survey cooperation.

During his opening remarks at the delegation-level talks, PM Modi identified terrorism, separatism, piracy, and drug trafficking as major challenges, underscoring that both countries would continue to work together to tackle them. "We give high priority to our strategic partnership with Nigeria... I am confident that a new chapter in our ties will begin following our talks," he said.

Modi also praised the approximately 60,000-strong Indian expatriate community in Nigeria, calling them a key pillar of India-Nigeria relations, and thanked President Tinubu for ensuring their welfare.

The MEA said that the two leaders reviewed ongoing bilateral cooperation and discussed ways to further strengthen the India-Nigeria strategic partnership. "Expressing satisfaction at the progress of ties, they agreed that there was immense potential for collaboration in trade, investment, education, energy, health, culture, and people-to-people relations," the statement added.

The leaders also discussed enhancing defence and security cooperation, and reiterated their commitment to jointly fighting terrorism, piracy, and radicalisation.

In a media briefing, Secretary (Economic Relations) at the MEA, Dammu Ravi, said Modi and Tinubu had agreed to expand bilateral economic cooperation, particularly in the renewable energy sector. The two leaders also shared the view that India and Nigeria were well-positioned to advance the aspirations of the Global South.

The discussions also covered global and regional issues. The MEA said that 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," the MEA added in its statement.

Prime Minister Modi also recalled his warm meeting with President Tinubu at the G20 Summit in New Delhi last year and highlighted the shared democratic values and strong people-to-people ties that define India-Nigeria relations.

Modi expressed his sympathies to Tinubu for the destruction caused by recent floods in Nigeria. The Nigerian president thanked India for its timely assistance with relief materials and medicines.

In their meeting, Modi also commended Nigeria's role as the chair of ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) and its contributions to multilateral and plurilateral bodies. He invited President Tinubu to join other pro-planet green initiatives launched by India, referring to Nigeria's membership in the International Solar Alliance and the International Big Cat Alliance.

Modi to travel to Brazil for G20 Summit next

Modi also highlighted the African Union's elevation to permanent membership in the G20 during last year's India-hosted summit, calling it a significant outcome.

Following the talks, President Tinubu hosted a state banquet in honour of Prime Minister Modi.

Modi is in Nigeria as part of a three-nation tour. After Abuja, he will travel to Brazil for the G20 summit, followed by Guyana.

India-Nigeria relations were upgraded to a "strategic partnership" during then-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Nigeria in October 2007. Nigeria has been a close partner of India for over six decades. India established its diplomatic mission in Lagos in 1958, two years before Nigeria gained independence in 1960.

The presence of about 60,000 Indian expatriates in Nigeria - the largest such community in West Africa - further strengthens the importance of this long-standing relationship. Over 200 Indian companies have invested about USD 27 billion across key manufacturing sectors, making them the second-largest employers in Nigeria after the federal government, according to Indian officials.

India has also emerged as a key development partner for Nigeria, offering concessional loans (USD 100 million) and capacity-building training programmes.

(With PTI inputs)