Nigeria and Thailand have reaffirmed their commitment to deepening bilateral relations, with both countries identifying expanded cooperation in trade, agriculture, technology and security as key priorities.
The commitment was made at the inaugural Nigeria–Thailand Bilateral Consultations Meeting held in Abuja on Monday.
The meeting, led by Ambassador Grema Garba, Director of Regions Department at Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Mrs Sirilak Nyom, Thailand’s Deputy Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs, reviewed existing relations and explored practical areas for stronger cooperation.
According to a statement signed by the Ministry’s Spokesperson, Mr Oluwafemi Timothy Adeniyi, the consultations also operationalised the Memorandum of Understanding on the Establishment of Bilateral Consultations signed during the 2023 visit of Thailand’s then Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister to Nigeria.
Nigeria and Thailand, which established diplomatic relations in 1962, identified opportunities for increased cooperation in trade and investment, agriculture, food security, energy, manufacturing, tourism, healthcare and technology.
Both countries also recognised Nigeria’s strategic position as a gateway to the African market and Thailand’s role as an entry point into Southeast Asia and the wider Asian market.
Agriculture emerged as a major focus, with Nigeria expressing interest in Thailand’s expertise in rice production, cassava processing, aquaculture, agricultural machinery and food processing.
The two sides also explored greater Thai investment in Nigeria’s agricultural value chains and discussed the possible operationalisation of the Joint Trade Committee to boost private-sector engagement and facilitate investment.
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 highlighted its existing cooperation with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency and the proposed Memorandum of Understanding on narcotic drug control and suppression.
The Thai delegation also introduced the SHIELD database for information-sharing on scams and human trafficking, expressing readiness to expand collaboration in intelligence sharing, digital forensics, law-enforcement coordination and capacity building.
The discussions further covered visa and migration issues, with Nigeria raising concerns over procedures affecting Nigerian businesspersons, investors, students and tourists travelling to Thailand.
Nigeria called for greater transparency, efficiency and predictability in visa processing, while both countries discussed migration management, trafficking in persons, migrant smuggling, repatriation and prisoner-transfer arrangements.
The two countries also agreed to expand technical cooperation through the Thailand International Cooperation Agency, including training, scholarships and institutional partnerships in agriculture, climate resilience, renewable energy, food innovation and digital technology.
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They reaffirmed their commitment to multilateralism, international peace and security, regional integration and reforms of the United Nations Security Council to ensure equitable representation for Africa and greater participation of developing countries in global decision-making.
Thailand expressed readiness to host the second round of the Nigeria–Thailand Bilateral Consultations in Bangkok on a mutually agreed date, as both countries pledged to translate the discussions into concrete programmes and mutually beneficial outcomes.
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