The relationship between India and Nigeria started a couple of years before Nigeria got its independence. India and Nigeria have formed a partnership alliance, and they should come much closer. With Nigeria being rich in natural resources and India striding ahead in terms of technological know how, there are emerging opportunities of collaboration between the nations. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh unveiled a new vision of strategic partnership between India and Nigeria pivoted on energy security and shared perspectives on global issues in his historic address to the joint session of the Nigerian parliament.

Both India and Nigeria have had fruitful relationship in economic terms for several decades. Indian PM’s visit to Abuja in Oct, 2007 was an effort to deepen the existing relationship and possibly open new vistas for co-operation between the two countries on one hand and between them and other nations on the other hand.

India is the largest democracy in the world. Nigeria is the largest democracy in Africa. Both are multi-religious, multi-ethnic and multi-lingual societies who embrace modernity while preserving their traditions. So there is a natural logic in ties between the two countries.

Nigeria is already India’s largest trading partner in Africa, but there is a need to vastly expand and diversify the trade. India underlined the need to ‘vastly expand and diversify bilateral trade’ between the two countries.

The principal challenge before these two nations remains the socio-economic development of the people. The information revolution and higher levels of literacy have raised popular expectations. Disparities are leading to social tensions. Economic growth has to be accompanied by a better distribution of its benefits. There is an urgent need to share experiences on effective strategies for sustainable development, poverty alleviation, health care facilities, and universal education. In this context, being largely agrarian societies, there is great potential for cooperation in agricultural research, soil and water management, and food processing.

Several MOU were signed between the two countries with a desire to raise multi-level relations between them. These included agreements on the Foreign Service Institute of India and its equivalent Nigerian Foreign Service Academy; on the Indian Council for World Affairs and the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs; and on protocol for foreign office consultation as well as a defense co-operation agreement.

Both countries agreed to work on yet more areas of agreement, to come into effect by early next year. They will include double taxation avoidance, bilateral investment promotion, a renewal of old bilateral air services agreement, as well as agreements on legal assistance and extradiction treaties, co-operation against trafficking in drugs, and on a cultural exchange programme.

The nations agreed to promote research and development in efficiency of energy production, clean technologies and renewable sources of energy. It was a partnership to steer the global economic and political agenda towards addressing the legitimate concerns of developing countries.

Both countries can promote transfer of technologies in key areas of the knowledge economy like information technology and biotechnology. Small and medium industry can play a key role.

The “years to come” will witness much growth in investments by Indian companies in Nigeria. Indian companies would probably be investing more than 10 billion dollars in the fertilizer and petrochemicals, power, oil and gas, among others.

Nigeria and India seek to upgrade their co-operation on security matters to meet the emerging threat of terrorism against humankind and the challenges to their social fabric.

India seeks to have more foreign investments. Nigeria was willing to partner with Indian mining corporations in order to develop the mineral sector in Nigeria.

The countries agreed to seek changes in the international financial and trading system to make it development-friendly.

For this partnership to flourish, both the nations need to encourage and promote broad based exchanges covering all facets of their relationship. Leaders in government, parliament, industry and civil society in both the countries have to commit themselves to making this partnership work.

Filed under: Relationship