Odimmegwa Johnpeter/Abuja
The Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, on Tuesday, 26 May 2026, received the Ambassador of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire to Nigeria, His Excellency, Kalilou Toure, for discussions aimed at deepening bilateral cooperation between both countries and promoting regional development. During the meeting, both sides reaffirmed the longstanding cordial relations between Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire and reiterated their commitment to sustaining regular diplomatic engagements at bilateral and multilateral levels. Discussions focused on enhancing cooperation in key sectors, including trade, investment, industrial development, security, culture, migration, and consular affairs. This was contained in a statement signed by Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, anipr, Spokesperson, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abuja.
The Honourable Minister noted that Côte d’Ivoire remains one of Nigeria’s major trading partners in Africa and stressed the need to further expand bilateral cooperation into areas such as cosmetics, perfumes, coffee production, petroleum products, technical partnerships, and industrial manufacturing. Both sides also reviewed existing Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) and expressed optimism regarding the reactivation and implementation of pending bilateral agreements during the forthcoming bilateral session scheduled to be held in Côte d’Ivoire. The meeting further underscored the importance of parliamentary diplomacy, institutional partnerships, and cooperation between relevant governance and electoral institutions as vital mechanisms for promoting democratic consolidation, good governance, and regional stability.
The Honourable Minister reiterated Nigeria’s commitment to strengthening regional cooperation in combating terrorism, violent extremism, human trafficking, drug trafficking, and other forms of transnational organized crime across the West African sub-region. Both parties emphasized the importance of intelligence sharing, security collaboration, and coordinated regional responses in addressing emerging security challenges.
The meeting also highlighted the need for sustained defence and security cooperation among West African states in promoting peace, constitutional order, and regional stability. In addition, discussions explored possible frameworks for prisoner transfer arrangements involving sentenced nationals, in accordance with applicable legal provisions and bilateral agreements, and commitment to sustaining high-level engagements, strengthening institutional coordination, and advancing bilateral relations in areas of mutual interest for the benefit of both countries and the West African region as a whole.
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