Nigeria and Thailand are set to deepen bilateral cooperation in technology, agriculture, commerce and renewable energy, with both countries exploring new areas of partnership and investment.
The move was highlighted on Wednesday when Vice President Kashim Shettima received a delegation from Thailand led by its Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister, H.E. Yousef Hassan Khalawi, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Nigeria is seeking a strategic review of its existing bilateral partnerships with Thailand, with particular emphasis on leveraging the Asian country’s comparative advantage in deploying intermediate technology in agriculture and other related sectors.
Thailand, meanwhile, is proposing a new Thailand-Africa Initiative designed to strengthen its ties with key African countries through greater people-to-people interaction, economic relations and cooperation, particularly in agriculture.
The development was disclosed in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Communications (Office of the Vice President), Stanley Nkwocha.
Representing President Bola Tinubu at the meeting, Shettima acknowledged the cordial relationship between Nigeria and Thailand but said the partnership needed to move beyond traditional areas of trade.
“I believe that our relationship should go beyond transactions in crude oil, rice production and so on. So, there is a need for us to review our bilateral relationship at a strategic level.
“Nigeria is a large market. There are enormous opportunities for partnership and investment in agriculture, ICT, renewable energy, and solid minerals, and we have a young population and workforce,” the Vice President noted.
Shettima urged the Thai government and its business community to deepen their engagement with Nigeria, highlighting the country’s strategic position in Africa, large population, young workforce and abundant natural resources.
Earlier, Khalawi, who is making his first trip to Africa, commended the ongoing transformation in Nigeria under the Tinubu administration.
He described Nigeria as a strategic partner for Thailand, an influential voice in the Global South and an emerging leader in e-commerce.
According to him, Thailand is seeking to establish a new framework of engagement with Africa through the proposed Thailand-Africa Initiative, with the aim of expanding economic ties, business partnerships and people-to-people relations.
Khalawi said a key component of the initiative would be greater economic cooperation, particularly in agriculture, while also exploring Thailand’s expertise in Universal Health Coverage and tourism.
“For us in Thailand, we believe that Nigeria is a strategic partner bilaterally and an important window to strengthening ties with Africa, particularly West Africa”.
The meeting was attended by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Dunoma Umar Ahmed; the Ambassador of Thailand to Nigeria, Mr. Thirapath Mongkolnavin; and other senior officials from the foreign affairs ministries of both countries.
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