President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of the Republic of Türkiye has said his country is targeting a trade volume of $5 billion with Nigeria, noting that discussions to achieve the goal have already begun.
Erdoğan made this known on Tuesday in Ankara during a joint press briefing with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is on a state visit to Türkiye.
Current trade volume between both countries stands at about $2 billion. Türkiye exports aircraft, helicopters, machinery, iron and steel, and chemical products to Nigeria, while Nigeria exports crude oil and agricultural products to Türkiye.
The Turkish president said the planned establishment of a Joint Economy and Trade Committee would create new opportunities to expand Turkish investments in Nigeria and help both countries reach the $5 billion trade target.
Erdoğan praised President Tinubu’s commitment to Nigeria’s development, describing the presence of several Nigerian ministers and senior officials during the visit as clear evidence of political will.
“Today, we conducted a comprehensive review of our relations with the esteemed President and his delegation in the fields of trade, investments, energy, education and defence industry. Firstly, we see that we have significant potential in the fields of trade and investment. In today’s meetings, our commitment is to the $5 billion trade volume target, and we discussed the steps needed,” Erdoğan said. “We also discussed opportunities to support our investments in Nigeria. We believe that the Joint Economy and Trade Committee, which we agreed to establish today, will be instrumental in this regard,” he added.
Erdoğan also commended Tinubu’s efforts in Nigeria’s energy sector, noting that recent reforms had contributed to economic restructuring. He expressed optimism that cooperation between the Turkish Petroleum Corporation, Nigerian counterparts and relevant organisations would deliver positive results. On security, the Turkish leader pledged Türkiye’s support for Nigeria in addressing insurgency, drawing from his country’s own experience in combating terrorism.
“Terrorist organisations emerging, particularly in Africa’s Sahel region, unfortunately pose a threat to the peace of the entire continent. We stand by the friendly people of Nigeria in their fight against terrorism under the leadership of President Tinubu,” Erdoğan said.
He added that both leaders discussed closer cooperation in military training and intelligence sharing. “We stated that we are ready to share our country’s significant experience in combating terrorism. Also, I believe that we will soon see positive outcomes from the meetings that Nigerian officials will hold with our leading defence industry companies during this visit,” he said.
In his remarks, President Tinubu thanked the Republic of Türkiye for its openness and willingness to collaborate in advancing global freedom, stability and prosperity. He stressed the importance of building an inclusive economy that prioritises vulnerable groups.
President Tinubu praised Erdoğan for being willing to collaborate, willing to help, willing to work together to promote freedom, stability and prosperity, shared prosperity across the world. He added, “What is very important to the countries being discussed is trade, business, no restrictions, giving opportunity to those who are ready to learn, to work and prosper. How do we build an inclusive economy together? How do we reform the economy and involve vulnerable people? How do we ensure peace in the world?”
Tinubu said Nigeria would continue to play a leading role in promoting peace and stability across Africa, despite security challenges in some parts of the country. “We discussed efforts against terrorism. We discussed how to defeat agents of destabilisation,” he said.
The Nigerian president also commended Erdoğan’s commitment to global peace, particularly his efforts in Somalia.
At the conclusion of the bilateral meeting, officials from both countries signed nine agreements. These include an agreement on cooperation in diaspora policy; an agreement on defence cooperation; a joint declaration establishing the Economy and Trade Joint Committee; and an agreement on halal quality infrastructure.
Other agreements covered cooperation in higher education; media and communication; education; cooperation between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Türkiye and Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Affairs Academy; and cooperation between Türkiye’s Ministry of Social Services and Nigeria’s Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development.
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