Tinubu's Turkey Visit Strengthens Nigeria-Turkey Relations

President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria recently visited Turkey, highlighting the urgency for global collaboration to tackle existing security, peace, and economic challenges. The visit aimed to enhance Turkey's technological advancements in the defense sector and deepen bilateral trade relations.

Turkey, strategically located between Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, has been Nigeria's largest trade partner in Sub-Saharan Africa, with 50 Turkish companies operating in Nigeria. During the visit to Ankara, Nigeria and Turkey signed nine agreements, including a defense cooperation agreement and a joint declaration to establish an economic trade joint committee.

These agreements focus on various sectors, including halal quality assurance, higher education, and media. The defense cooperation aims to address threats from groups like Boko Haram and ISWAP, providing Nigeria access to military hardware and support for counter-terrorism efforts.

The trade volume between Nigeria and Turkey reached $688.4 million in the first eleven months of 2025, with an ambitious target of $5 billion in the medium term.