“Africa & Europe Must Bridge Gaps, Not Build Walls” – Amb Tuggar
Oru Leonard
Nigeria’s Foreign Minister, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, has called on Europe and Africa to reject isolationist instincts and instead embrace good neighbourliness grounded in history, geography, and shared responsibility. Speaking at the 2026 Annual Conference of Spanish Ambassadors in Madrid, Tuggar emphasized that Europe and Africa are part of a single geopolitical space, bound together through trade, labour, and shared economic foundations.
He highlighted Africa’s central role in shaping the modern world, citing the trans-Saharan gold trade and early Atlantic commerce. Tuggar also addressed migration, warning against policies driven by fear rather than realism, and praised Spain’s circular migration arrangements with African countries as a pragmatic model.
The Foreign Minister stressed that Africa’s marginal share of global trade is incompatible with its population size and urged development finance and value-addition as investments in shared stability. He also spoke about the shrinking space for diplomacy in an era of over-militarisation and polarised domestic politics.
(MFA Press)
