Nigeria and Israel have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral relations, with renewed focus on security and defence, agriculture, technology, healthcare and trade.
The commitment was reiterated during the valedictory visit of the outgoing Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria, Michael Freeman, to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, in Abuja.
According to the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, Ambassador Odumegwu-Ojukwu commended the Israeli envoy for his contributions to enhancing relations between the two countries during his diplomatic posting.
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She reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to “expanding cooperation in critical areas, particularly counter-terrorism, intelligence sharing, border security, security financing and capacity building.”
She also stressed the importance of “stronger partnerships between Nigerian start-ups and Israeli technology firms, as well as leveraging Israeli expertise to improve water management and agricultural productivity.”
Speaking during the visit, Ambassador Freeman described Nigeria as an “amazing country” with warm and welcoming people. He noted that sustained engagement between the two nations was essential to unlocking the full potential of their longstanding partnership.
The outgoing envoy further reaffirmed Israel’s readiness to “support Nigeria in innovation, agriculture, healthcare, education, skills development and security.”
He also expressed optimism that bilateral trade between the two countries, currently estimated at about US$200 million annually, would continue to grow in the years ahead.
