NIGERIA, THAILAND REAFFIRM COMMITMENT TO DEEPENING BILATERAL COOPERATION

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, ABUJA

PRESS RELEASE

NO: MFA/PR/2026/213

NIGERIA, THAILAND REAFFIRM COMMITMENT TO DEEPENING BILATERAL COOPERATION

The Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Kingdom of Thailand have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral relations and expanding cooperation in areas of mutual interest at the inaugural Nigeria–Thailand Bilateral Consultations Meeting held on Monday, 24 August 2026, in Abuja.

The Meeting brought together senior officials from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of both countries. The Nigerian side was led by Ambassador Grema Garba, Director (Regions Department), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while the Thai side was led by Mrs. Sirilak Nyom, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The meeting provided an opportunity to review the state of bilateral relations, exchange views on regional and global developments, and identify practical areas for enhanced cooperation. It also served to operationalise the Memorandum of Understanding on the Establishment of Bilateral Consultations, signed during the visit of the then Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Thailand to Nigeria in 2023.

Nigeria and Thailand, which established diplomatic relations in 1962, reaffirmed the cordial and mutually beneficial nature of their relations. Nigeria highlighted opportunities for greater cooperation in trade and investment, agriculture and food security, energy, manufacturing, tourism, healthcare, technology and technical cooperation, while welcoming Thailand’s growing engagement with Africa. Both sides recognised the complementary opportunities offered by Nigeria as a gateway to the African market and Thailand as a gateway to Southeast Asia and the wider Asian market.

The two countries identified significant opportunities for expanding economic cooperation, particularly in agriculture, agro-processing, oil and gas, renewable energy, manufacturing, mining, healthcare, tourism, ICT and infrastructure. Discussions also covered the possible operationalisation of the Joint Trade Committee, increased private-sector engagement, and measures to facilitate trade and investment. Agriculture emerged as a priority area, with Nigeria expressing interest in Thailand’s expertise in rice production, cassava processing, aquaculture, agricultural machinery and food processing, as well as greater Thai investment in Nigeria’s agricultural value chains.

The Consultations further addressed consular, migration and visa matters, with Nigeria raising concerns regarding visa procedures affecting Nigerian businesspersons, investors, students and tourists travelling to Thailand. Nigeria called for greater transparency, efficiency and predictability in visa processing. Both sides also discussed migration management, trafficking in persons, migrant smuggling, protection of nationals, repatriation and prisoner-transfer arrangements.

On security, both countries reaffirmed the importance of strengthening cooperation against drug trafficking, human trafficking, cybercrime, online scams and other forms of transnational organised crime. Thailand highlighted its cooperation with Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency and the proposed Memorandum of Understanding on narcotic drug control and suppression. It also introduced the SHIELD database for information-sharing on scams and human trafficking and expressed readiness to enhance cooperation in intelligence sharing, digital forensics, law-enforcement coordination and capacity building.

The two sides also welcomed opportunities for expanded technical cooperation through the Thailand International Cooperation Agency (TICA), including training, scholarships and institutional partnerships in agriculture, food innovation, climate resilience, renewable energy and digital technology. Both countries reaffirmed their commitment to multilateralism, international peace and security, regional integration and a rules-based international order, including the need for comprehensive reform of the United Nations Security Council to ensure equitable representation for Africa and stronger participation of developing countries in global decision-making.
Nigeria welcomed Thailand’s Thailand-Africa Initiative and expressed readiness to support stronger Thai engagement with the African Union and ECOWAS.

Both sides also exchanged views on regional developments, including the importance of dialogue, confidence-building and coordinated responses to insecurity in West Africa and the Sahel. They agreed to continue consultations on cooperation within multilateral organisations and mutual support for candidates seeking positions in international institutions.

The Consultations concluded with both sides expressing satisfaction with the outcome and reaffirming their determination to translate the discussions into concrete programmes and deliverables. Thailand expressed readiness to host the second round of the Nigeria-Thailand Bilateral Consultations in Bangkok on a mutually agreed date and indicated its interest in advancing outstanding bilateral agreements. Nigeria reaffirmed its commitment to working closely with Thailand to deepen the longstanding friendship and expand mutually beneficial cooperation in economic, agricultural, technological, security, consular, developmental and multilateral affairs.

Signed:

Oluwafemi Timothy Adeniyi,
Spokesperson,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abuja
Monday, 25 August 2026