By Fatima Saka
ABUJA — Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have reaffirmed their commitment to deepening bilateral relations, with both countries pushing for the completion and implementation of the Nigeria-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) to further boost trade and investment.
The commitment was made when the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, received the UAE Ambassador to Nigeria, Salem Saeed Alshamsi, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja.
According to a statement signed by the Spokesperson of the Ministry, Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, both sides reviewed developments in bilateral trade, investment, economic cooperation, connectivity, emerging technologies and people-to-people relations.
The UAE Ambassador said bilateral trade between the two countries had grown significantly from about $3 billion to $4.3 billion in 2024 and approximately $5 billion in 2025, expressing optimism that stronger political relations would further drive trade and investment.
Discussions also focused on CEPA, which has been ratified by the UAE. Alshamsi expressed hope that the completion of the necessary processes on the Nigerian side would unlock greater opportunities for economic cooperation between both countries.
He also highlighted the proposed commencement of Emirates Airline operations in Abuja and ongoing consultations with relevant Nigerian authorities to strengthen aviation connectivity.
Enikanolaiye welcomed the growth in non-oil trade and investment, noting that closer economic ties aligned with Nigeria’s economic diplomacy priorities, including export diversification and the promotion of manufacturing, services, technology and fintech.
The Minister of State reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to concluding the processes required for CEPA implementation and called for the early convening of the Nigeria-UAE Joint Commission to resolve outstanding issues and explore new areas of cooperation.
Both countries also identified artificial intelligence, digital technology and other emerging technologies as key areas for expanded collaboration, with Nigeria seeking knowledge transfer, skills development and capacity building opportunities for young Nigerians.
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The meeting further welcomed progress in resolving previous visa-related challenges, which both sides said would promote increased movement for business, investment, tourism and other purposes.
Nigeria also welcomed increased UAE investment in priority sectors, including infrastructure, technology, energy and financial services, as both countries expressed confidence that sustained political engagement and closer institutional collaboration would deliver greater benefits to their peoples.
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