Abuja: India accords high priority to its strategic partnership with Nigeria, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday as he held extensive talks with Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu that focused on shoring up bilateral ties in key sectors such as defence, trade, energy and agriculture.
In their meeting, the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to jointly fight terrorism, piracy and radicalisation and vowed to work towards meeting the aspirations of the Global South.
The prime minister arrived in Abuja early Sunday on the first trip to the country by an Indian prime minister after a gap of 17 years. PM Modi offered India's experience in agriculture, transportation, affordable medicine, renewable energy, and digital transformation to Nigeria, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said at the talks.
On his part, Tinubu appreciated the development cooperation partnership offered by India and its meaningful impact in creating local capacities, skills, and professional expertise.
In the morning, Modi was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the presidential villa with a 21-gun salute following which he held a one-on-one meeting with Tinubu. Later, the two leaders held delegation-level talks.
In a post on 'X', the prime minister described the talks with the Nigerian president as "very productive" and that they talked about 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 said. Following the talks, three Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) on cultural exchange, cooperation in customs and survey Cooperation were signed.
In his televised opening remarks at the delegation-level talks, Modi identified terrorism, separatism, piracy and drug trafficking as major challenges and said the two countries will continue to work together to deal with 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," the prime minister said.
Modi also described around 60,000-strong Indian expatriate community as a key pillar of India-Nigeria relations and thanked Tinubu for ensuring their welfare. The MEA said Modi and Tinubu reviewed the ongoing bilateral cooperation and discussed ways to further strengthen India-Nigeria strategic partnership.
"Expressing satisfaction at the progress of ties, they agreed that there was immense potential for collaboration in the fields of trade, investment, education, energy, health, culture, and people-to-people ties," it said.
"The two leaders also discussed enhancing defence and security cooperation. They reaffirmed their commitment to jointly fighting terrorism, piracy and radicalisation," it said.
At a media briefing, the Secretary (Economic Relations) in the MEA Dammu Ravi said Modi and Tinubu resolved to expand bilateral economic cooperation and that there is significant scope for engagement in the renewable energy sector.
Ravi said the two leaders held the view that India and Nigeria are well positioned to advance the aspirations of the Global South. Modi and Tinubu also discussed global and regional issues. The MEA said the Nigerian President 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," it said in a statement. The prime minister also recalled his warm meeting with President Tinubu at the G20 Summit in New Delhi last year.
He noted that the two countries enjoy special bonds of friendship defined by a shared past, common democratic values and strong people-to-people ties.
Modi conveyed his sympathies to Tinubu for the destruction caused by the recent floods in the country. The Nigerian president thanked the prime minister for India’s timely assistance with relief materials and medicines. In the meeting, Modi appreciated the role played by Nigeria as the chair of ECOWAS and its contribution to multilateral and plurilateral bodies.
The ECOWAS or Economic Community of West African States is a regional political and economic union of 15 countries of West Africa. Alluding to Nigeria's membership of the International Solar Alliance and the International Big Cat Alliance, Modi invited Tinubu to join other pro-planet green initiatives launched by India, the MEA said.
In his opening remarks, Modi referred to the African Union becoming a permanent member of the G20 at the India-hosted summit of the grouping last year and described it as a significant outcome.
The Nigerian president hosted a state banquet in honour of the Indian prime minister following the bilateral 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 India-Nigeria ties were elevated to the status of a "strategic partnership' during then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to the African nation in October 2007. Nigeria has been a close partner of India for over six decades.
New Delhi established its diplomatic House in Lagos in November 1958, two years before Nigeria became independent in 1960. The presence of a large Indian expatriate community of about 60,000, the largest in West Africa, adds value to the importance of the long-standing relationship between the two countries.
There are more than 200 Indian companies who have invested about USD 27 billion in all important manufacturing sectors and these companies are the second largest employers after the federal government, according to Indian officials.
India has emerged as a development partner of Nigeria on two fronts -- by offering developmental assistance through concessional loans (USD 100 million) and by offering capacity-building training programmes.
