Nigeria and Estonia have expressed the readiness to strengthen economic partnership in the areas of trade and investment, technology, and e governance, as well as facilitate business exchanges between the two nations.
Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, stated this when he received his Estonian counterpart, Minna-Liina Lind, in his office , in Abuja, Nigeria.
The Nigerian Foreign Affairs Minister, stressed that boost private-sector partnerships, in technology and startups, there is need to set up a structured framework to create an enabling environment.
“Estonia is very, advanced when it comes to technology, when it comes to e-government, and already our private sectors are leading the way in terms of collaboration, startups, and several other engagement in technology. So we are meeting to provide the necessary requisites, frameworks, so that government ensures that it further nurtures an enabling environment for private sector to engage further. But beyond that, Nigeria and Estonia find themselves sharing a lot in common in terms of principled positions on the global stage, and this is something that we’ll continue to do. We work closely with each other in the United Nations. Already, our private sectors are leading the way in collaboration’, he said.
Ambassador Tuggar further disclosed that both countries are ready to establish the offices in both countries to cement the relationship.
“We’re looking forward to establishing relations with each other, opening embassies, because we believe that this is one of the treasured relationships that we have and that will continue to grow in the years to come. That’s why I was talking about startups. There’s already a lot that’s happening, and we want to do more. We have discussed the issue of trade delegations visiting, and we’re expecting that a delegation will be coming to attend an event in Lagos in the very near future. Other exchanges will continue. We already have Nigerian students in Estonia. These are some of the areas that we’ll continue to collaborate on”, Tuggar added .
On her part the Estonia Minister of Foreign Affairs,, Minna-Liina Lind , explained that what Estonia share with Nigeria is not in size but the principle stance at the International fora., while reiterating her country’s commitment to strengthening ties with Nigeria.
“What we share, is not in size, because Estonia has 1.3 million people, what we share definitely is our principle stance on international affairs in the national fora, both in the United Nations and elsewhere. So in that sense, this is for the bigger multilateral fora, but also for bilateral relations. As I said, Estonia is a very digitally advanced country, so we know that here also there are many, many vibrant startups and many advancements in that sphere, so we want to also collaborate on that.
“We recognize Nigeria’s vibrant startup ecosystem and the potential for deeper collaboration. Estonia, as a European Union member, also sees opportunities for broader economic cooperation. The first start of these excellent bilateral relations are the visits to each other’s countries, and of course having also more presence and visits on the ground, both sides”, she said
Speaking on the trade volume between the nations, she disclosed that her country is looking on ways to increasing the trade volume with Nigeria through different businesses possible.
“we are also planning a possible visit here with our business community. Then we can see what is doable. We have a couple of hundred Nigerian students studying in Estonia, and also on these e-governance and digital issues, already some cooperation are happening. We have our ride-sharing company Bolt already active in Lagos for a very long time , but we know that there are many areas we could also cooperate more”, she added
Both ministers discussed trade delegations, with plans for Estonian businesses to visit Nigeria soon. They also had discussions on the multilateral issues,, conflicts and other world problems of concerns.
Olusola Akintonde
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