(3 Minutes Read)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday held extensive talks with his Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu focusing on boosting the India-Nigeria partnership in a range of areas, including trade, investment and digital public infrastructure.
The prime minister was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the presidential villa following which he held a one-on-one meeting with Tinubu. Both pledged to deepen their strategic partnership on Sunday, as Modi made his first visit to the West African country.PM Modi is the fourth PM to visit Nigeria after Dr Manmohan Singh way back in October 2007. Both sides are likely to ink several agreements following the delegation-level talks. Modi is in Nigeria as part of a three-nation tour. From Abuja, he will travel to Brazil to attend the G20 summit. His last destination will be Guyana.
The visit comes amid a revived push by both India and Nigeria for permanent representation on the UN Security Council and as India seeks to find its place in a multipolar world. Together we will also continue to highlight at the global level the priorities of the Global South and thanks to our joint efforts, we will achieve success as well in this, stated the Indian PM. Nigeria values its excellent relationship with India and will work to broaden the same for the mutual benefit of our two friendly countries, Tinubu responded.
During the meeting, both leaders said they sought to usher in a new chapter in the two countries’ relationship in the areas of defense, energy, technology, trade and development. Modi and Tinubu also pledged greater collaboration in counterterrorism, maritime security and intelligence sharing. It is meant to help both countries cope with growing threats in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Guinea, which is one of the world’s most dangerous areas for piracy.
As Africa has become a theatre of competition between the US, Europe, as well as Russia, Turkey and especially China, India too has sought to make some inroads in the continent. Ahead of the trip, Modi’s office boasted that more than 60,000 Indian nationals and 200 Indian companies are present in Nigeria. Indian companies had invested USD 27 billion (€25.6 billion) in Nigerian manufacturing, becoming major employers. Nigeria is also India’s largest trading partner in Africa with total bilateral trade estimated at USD 14.9 billion in 2022.
Read Also:
Nigeria bestowed PM Modi with Grand Commander of The Order of the Niger (GCON), marking the 17th international honour conferred upon him by a foreign nation. With this distinction, PM Modi becomes only the second foreign dignitary to receive this prestigious award. The first was Queen Elizabeth II, who was honored with the GCON in 1969.
