Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have committed to strengthening the longstanding and mutually beneficial relations between the two nations.

The commitment was expressed during a courtesy visit by the Ambassador of the UAE to Nigeria, Salem Saeed Alshamsi, to the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Sola Enikanolaiye.

Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, stated that the meeting reviewed developments in bilateral trade and investment, economic cooperation, connectivity, emerging technologies and people-to-people relations.

The UAE ambassador reaffirmed the embassy’s readiness to work closely with the ministry in advancing shared interests. He highlighted the significant growth in bilateral trade, which increased from approximately $3 billion to $4.3 billion in 2024 and to about $5 billion in 2025. He expressed optimism that stronger political relations would continue to support increased trade and investment.

They also spoke on the UAE-Nigeria Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). The ambassador noted that the agreement had been ratified by the UAE and expressed hope that its completion on the Nigerian side would further expand bilateral trade and investment.

He also highlighted the proposed commencement of Emirates Airline operations in Abuja and ongoing consultations with relevant Nigerian authorities towards strengthening aviation connectivity between the two countries.

The Minister of State expressed appreciation for the UAE’s continued commitment to Nigeria and welcomed the growth in non-oil trade and investment. He noted that stronger economic relations were consistent with Nigeria’s economic diplomacy priorities, particularly the diversification of export markets and the promotion of manufacturing, services, technology and fintech.