Nigeria and Israel reaffirmed their commitment Monday to deepening bilateral ties in security, agriculture, technology and trade, during a farewell visit by outgoing Israeli Ambassador Michael Freeman to Nigeria’s Foreign Ministry.
Freeman met with Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, in Abuja as he concluded his tour of duty. In a statement, ministry spokesperson Magnus Eze said both countries identified security and defense, agriculture and food security, technology and innovation, healthcare, and trade expansion as priority areas for enhanced cooperation.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu commended Freeman for what she described as a successful tour of duty, saying his tenure had further consolidated bilateral ties and laid a solid foundation for his successor. She said Nigeria remained committed to deepening collaboration with Israel on counter-terrorism, intelligence gathering, information sharing, security financing and training for security personnel.
Freeman reiterated Israel’s commitment to expanding cooperation in innovation, agriculture, healthcare, security, education and skills development. He said current annual trade between the two countries stood at roughly $200 million, which he described as below its potential, and voiced confidence that bilateral trade would grow significantly in coming years.
The visit follows a series of recent exchanges between the two countries, including a research and technology partnership signed last week and a high-level political dialogue held in Abuja earlier this year focused on counter-terrorism and economic development.
