Odimmegwa Johnpeter/Abuja
The bilateral trade between Nigeria and India has increased to about $9 billion in the 2025-2026 financial year, rising from $7.13 billion in 2024-2025. This is consequent to the improving relationship between Nigeria and India.
They growth was engendered by the deeper cooperation between the two countries in manufacturing, health, technology, and other sectors.
The High Commissioner of India to Nigeria, Abishek Singh, disclosed this during a Media Meet with Journalists in Abuja.
According to the High Commissioner, trade and investment are key pillars of the growing Nigeria-India partnership, with more than 200 Indian companies currently operating in Nigeria in pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, power, construction, consumer goods, healthcare and services.
He stressed that the current focus has shifted from import trade to local production, with many firms now establishing plants in Nigeria.
His words: “They are also making in Nigeria. They are producing in Nigeria; they have set up plants in Nigeria. This has translated into close to 100,000 brothers and sisters from Nigeria being deployed, employed by these companies. ”
The High Commissioner also noted that Indian companies are now among the largest private-sector employers in Nigeria.
Singh further stated that the relationship between the two countries has evolved beyond historical goodwill and oil-based trade into a broad strategic partnership covering security, technology, food security, agriculture, energy, and global governance.
The India’s Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Vertika Rawat, said India supplies about 40% of Nigeria’s pharmaceutical imports, with the share exceeding 90% in some categories of medicines.
While Indian pharmaceutical exports to Nigeria reached $315 million in 2024/2025, Indian companies have invested about $4 billion in pharmaceutical manufacturing in Nigeria.
“This is what it means in practice for India to be the pharmacy of the world. It means not only affordable medicines reaching Nigerian homes, but also manufacturing medicines in Nigeria for Nigerian homes,” Rawat said.
She said India is ready to deepen cooperation as Nigeria pursues universal health coverage through policy exchange, institutional partnerships and training of healthcare professionals.
The Deputy High Commissioner highlighted India’s Ayushman Bharat healthcare programme as a model Nigeria could explore.
She cited data from India’s National Family Health Survey released in May 2026 covering 639,000 families across 707 districts:
– Antenatal care: 96% of pregnant women
– Institutional deliveries: 90.6%
– Full immunisation for children 12-23 months: 87.1%, up from 83.8%
– Stunting among children under five: down to 29.3% from 35.5%
– Health insurance/financing coverage: 60.2%, up from 41%
– Women with internet use: 64.3%, up from 33.3%
She said areas for collaboration include maternal and child health, immunisation, healthcare financing and women’s economic empowerment.
“As Nigeria charts its own path towards universal health coverage, India believes the Ayushman Bharat model and other Indian policy models offers a template well worth exploring together, alongside the continued training of Nigerian health professionals under India’s ITEC flagship programme,” Rawat added.
Both envoys described the expanding ties as an partnership driven by shared development priorities.
They noted that both countries, with common experiences in the struggle against colonialism, are now working to promote health, dignity and shared prosperity.
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