Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral relations, with both countries focusing on trade, investment, technology, aviation and people-to-people ties.
The commitment was made Wednesday when the UAE Ambassador to Nigeria, Salem Saeed Alshamsi, met with Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja.
The ministry said the meeting reviewed bilateral trade and investment, economic cooperation, connectivity, emerging technologies and people-to-people relations.
Alshamsi congratulated Enikanolaiye on his appointment and expressed the UAE Embassy’s readiness to work with the ministry to advance shared interests.
He highlighted the growth in bilateral trade, which rose from about $3 billion to $4.3 billion in 2024 and approximately $5 billion in 2025.
The ambassador expressed optimism that stronger political relations would further boost trade and investment between both countries.
Discussions also centred on the UAE-Nigeria Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, or CEPA.
Alshamsi said the agreement had been ratified by the UAE and expressed hope that Nigeria would complete its own processes to enable the pact to further expand bilateral trade and investment.
The two sides also discussed plans for Emirates Airline to begin operations in Abuja, with consultations ongoing between the airline and relevant Nigerian authorities to strengthen aviation connectivity.
Enikanolaiye welcomed the growth in non-oil trade and investment and said stronger economic ties with the UAE aligned with Nigeria’s economic diplomacy priorities.
He said Nigeria was particularly interested in diversifying its export markets and promoting manufacturing, services, technology and financial technology.
The minister reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to completing the processes required for CEPA implementation and called for an early meeting of the Nigeria-UAE Joint Commission to resolve outstanding issues and identify new areas of cooperation.
Both countries also identified artificial intelligence, digital technology and other emerging technologies as areas with significant potential for collaboration.
Nigeria expressed interest in knowledge transfer, skills development and capacity building, particularly for young Nigerians, while welcoming increased UAE investment in infrastructure, technology, energy and financial services.
The meeting also highlighted the importance of people-to-people relations, with both sides welcoming progress in resolving previous visa-related challenges.
The ministry said the development would facilitate greater movement between Nigeria and the UAE for business, investment, tourism and other purposes.
Both sides expressed confidence that sustained political engagement, stronger economic cooperation and closer institutional collaboration would deliver greater benefits to the people of Nigeria and the UAE.
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