Nigeria and the European Union (EU) have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening their strategic partnership through enhanced political dialogue, economic cooperation, security collaboration, and sustainable development.
The two parties made this known during a meeting between Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu and Mr. Gautier Mignot, the EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, on Thursday in Abuja.
This is according to a statement issued by Mr Kimiebi Ebienfa, the Spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The meeting was centred on review of the state of Nigeria-EU relations, assessment of progress made since the Second Nigeria-EU Ministerial Dialogue held in March 2026, and exchange of views on key bilateral, regional, and global issues of mutual interest.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu commended Nigeria-EU relations and expressed appreciation for the EU’s continued support through the Global Gateway Initiative, the European Peace Facility, and other development cooperation programmes.
She reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation in trade, investment, renewable energy, agriculture, infrastructure, innovation, migration, peace, and security.
The minister expressed appreciation to the EU for its sustained support to Nigeria’s security architecture, particularly its assistance to the Multinational Joint Task Force and regional peacebuilding initiatives.
She also welcomed the proposed North-West Stabilisation Programme and emphasised the need for increased international support to address the evolving security challenges in the region.
According to her, the EU is one of Nigeria’s foremost trading and development partners, saying Mignot’s visit will help to enhance economic cooperation, attract greater investment, and strengthen existing strategic initiatives between both sides.
On regional and international issues, she thanked the EU for its balanced and objective understanding about Nigeria’s security situation, while recognising the country’s security challenges stemmed from multiple factors.
She identified such factors as including terrorism, banditry, communal conflicts, resource competition and criminality, rather than religious persecution alone, and thanked the EU for supporting Nigeria’s sovereignty and efforts in tackling complex challenges.
Earlier, Mignot reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to facilitating the proposed official visit of President Bola Tinubu to Brussels, in line with ongoing consultations with the Presidents of the European Council and the European Commission to identify mutually convenient dates in October, 2026.
He disclosed that the proposed visit would further consolidate the strategic partnership between Nigeria and the EU, and unveil new areas of cooperation.
According to Mignot, the EU is finalising approval of a 20 million Euros support package under the European Peace Facility to strengthen Nigeria’s counter-terrorism capabilities through the provision of counter-drone and counter-IED equipment.
He added also that an additional 25 million Euros peace and stabilisation programme for Nigeria’s North-West was under preparation, alongside other peacebuilding initiatives aimed at promoting peace and stability across the country.
Mignot explained ongoing negotiations about Nigeria-European Union Readmission Agreement and the Science, Technology and Innovation Cooperation Agreement would further deepen research collaboration and expand opportunities for Nigerian institutions under the Horizon Europe Research Programme.
On economic cooperation, he reiterated preparations had reached advanced stage for a new €25 million flagship agricultural programme focusing on the dairy and cocoa value chains.
He commended the success of the Nigeria-EU Business Forum held in Lagos, expanding investments by the European Investment Bank and other European financial institutions in support of small and medium-sized enterprises.
Others investments, he said, included women-led and youth-owned businesses, as well as the steady progress that had been recorded under the Nigeria-EU Trade and Investment Dialogue.
Both parties exchanged views on democratic governance, migration, regional security, developments within ECOWAS and the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), as well as recent international developments.
Their views focused on EU’s support for the independence of the International Criminal Court (ICC), freedom of navigation under international law, the need to preserve international legal norms and multilateral cooperation in tackling emerging global challenges.
