Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire Reaffirms Commitment to Promote Regional Development
Oru Leonard
The Federal Government of Nigeria and the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire have reaffirmed their commitment to deepening bilateral cooperation and advancing regional development across West Africa.
This was the outcome of a high-level meeting held in Abuja on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, between Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, and the Ambassador of Côte d’Ivoire to Nigeria, Kalilou Toure.
According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, both countries reaffirmed their longstanding cordial relations and pledged to sustain regular diplomatic engagements at bilateral and multilateral levels.
Discussions during the meeting focused on strengthening cooperation in strategic sectors including trade, investment, industrial development, security, culture, migration, and consular affairs.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu described Côte d’Ivoire as one of Nigeria’s major trading partners in Africa and emphasized the need to expand cooperation into emerging sectors such as cosmetics, perfumes, coffee production, petroleum products, industrial manufacturing, and technical partnerships.
Both parties also reviewed existing Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) and expressed optimism over the reactivation and implementation of pending bilateral agreements during the next bilateral session scheduled to hold in Côte d’Ivoire.
The meeting highlighted the importance of parliamentary diplomacy, institutional partnerships, and collaboration among governance and electoral institutions in promoting democratic consolidation, good governance, and regional stability across West Africa.
On security matters, the Nigerian Foreign Affairs Minister reiterated Nigeria’s commitment to strengthening regional efforts against terrorism, violent extremism, human trafficking, drug trafficking, and other forms of transnational organized crime.
Both sides stressed the need for intelligence sharing, security collaboration, and coordinated regional responses to emerging security threats within the sub-region.
The discussions also underscored the importance of sustained defence and security cooperation among West African countries in promoting peace, constitutional order, and regional stability.
Additionally, both countries explored possible frameworks for prisoner transfer arrangements involving sentenced nationals, in line with applicable legal provisions and bilateral agreements.
The meeting concluded with a renewed commitment by both nations to sustain high-level engagements, strengthen institutional coordination, and advance bilateral relations for the mutual benefit of Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, and the wider West African region.
(MFA Media)
