Erdoğan says Türkiye has ‘strategic partnership’ with Nigeria

ANKARA

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said Türkiye and Nigeria have a strategic partnership, underlining the importance of political will and economic cooperation between the two countries, as he hosted Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for talks in Ankara.

Speaking at a joint news conference, Erdoğan described Nigeria as more than a friendly nation, calling it one of Türkiye’s key commercial partners with a population exceeding 230 million and a shared role within platforms such as the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the D-8 group.

“We have evaluated our relations in trade, investment, education, energy and the defence industry,” Erdoğan said, adding that both sides had reaffirmed their goal of increasing bilateral trade volume to $5 billion.

Erdoğan said the establishment of a joint economic and trade committee would help unlock the strong potential between the two countries, while Türkiye’s development agency TIKA would continue projects aimed at supporting welfare and development in Nigeria.

Highlighting Nigeria’s position as Africa’s largest producer of natural gas and oil, Erdoğan said energy cooperation had gained importance since Tinubu took office, noting that Turkish state firms such as Turkish Petroleum and BOTAS were keen to deepen collaboration.

Erdoğan said Tinubu’s visit, accompanied by senior officials, demonstrated Nigeria’s strong political commitment to advancing ties, adding that business engagements held alongside the talks were expected to further strengthen economic relations.