Nigeria, Thailand Open New Chapter in Trade, Security and Economic Cooperation

Nigeria and Thailand have agreed to deepen bilateral cooperation across trade, investment, agriculture, security, technology and other strategic areas following the inaugural Nigeria-Thailand Bilateral Consultations in Abuja.

The consultations brought together senior government officials from both countries to review existing relations, assess regional and global developments and identify practical opportunities for stronger cooperation.

Nigeria’s delegation was led by the Director of the Regions Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Grema Garba, while Thailand was represented by its Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mrs. Sirilak Nyom.

According to the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Oluwafemi Adeniyi, the meeting also marked the operationalisation of the Memorandum of Understanding establishing the bilateral consultations, signed during the visit of Thailand’s then Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister to Nigeria in 2023.

Nigeria and Thailand established diplomatic relations in 1962.

Agriculture, trade top agenda

Agriculture featured prominently in the discussions, with Nigeria expressing interest in Thailand’s expertise in rice production, cassava processing, aquaculture, agricultural machinery and food processing.

Both countries also explored opportunities for increased Thai investment in Nigeria’s agricultural value chains.

The two sides further discussed the possible operationalisation of the Joint Trade Committee as a mechanism for expanding bilateral trade and strengthening private-sector partnerships.

Trade and investment, energy, manufacturing, mining, healthcare, tourism, ICT and infrastructure were also identified as sectors with significant potential for increased cooperation.

Nigeria seeks easier Thai visa procedures

Nigeria used the consultations to raise concerns over visa procedures affecting Nigerian businesspeople, investors, students and tourists travelling to Thailand.

The Nigerian delegation called for greater transparency, efficiency and predictability in the visa process, particularly as both countries seek to expand commercial, educational and people-to-people exchanges.

The consultations also covered trafficking in persons, migrant smuggling, protection of nationals, repatriation and prisoner-transfer arrangements.

Stronger cooperation against cybercrime, trafficking

On security, Nigeria and Thailand agreed to strengthen cooperation against drug trafficking, human trafficking, cybercrime, online scams and other forms of transnational organised crime.

Thailand expressed willingness to work more closely with Nigerian law-enforcement agencies through intelligence sharing, digital forensics, information exchange and capacity building.

Both countries also welcomed expanded technical cooperation through the Thailand International Cooperation Agency, particularly in agriculture, food innovation, climate resilience, renewable energy and digital technology.

The cooperation is expected to include training programmes, scholarships and institutional partnerships.

Nigeria backs Thailand-Africa initiative

The two countries reaffirmed their commitment to multilateralism, international peace and security and regional integration.

They also expressed support for reform of the United Nations Security Council to provide more equitable representation for Africa and other developing countries.

Nigeria welcomed Thailand’s Thailand-Africa Initiative and expressed readiness to support stronger Thai engagement with the African Union and ECOWAS.

The two delegations also reviewed developments in West Africa and the Sahel, stressing the need for dialogue, confidence-building and coordinated responses to insecurity.

Thailand to host next round

At the end of the consultations, both sides expressed satisfaction with the outcome and pledged to translate the agreements reached into concrete programmes and deliverables.

Thailand offered to host the second round of the Nigeria-Thailand Bilateral Consultations in Bangkok on a mutually agreed date.

Nigeria, meanwhile, reaffirmed its commitment to deepening the longstanding friendship and mutually beneficial partnership between the two countries.