President Muhammadu Buhari will on Thursday leave Abuja for Istanbul, Turkey to attend the third Turkey-Africa Partnership Summit, hosted by President Recep Erdogan of the Republic of Turkey, expected to consolidate and push relations between the two countries to $5b annually.
The trade relationship between Nigeria and Turkey witnessed an upward trajectory since 2019, from the paltry 725,654 million US Dollars to over $2b, with the prospect to increase to $5b, following the agreements signed between the two countries in October, this year.
In the aviation sector, Turkish Airlines operates seven direct flights per week to Lagos and Abuja.
The Turkish President signed a series of Bilateral Agreements and Memoranda of Understanding, with Nigeria during his visit in October, this year.
‘Some of the Agreements/MoUs are in Energy, Defense Industry, Mining and HydroCarbons
President Buhari had hosted President Erdogan and his wife, Emine, in October on a State visit to Nigeria.
President Erdogan attended the Joint Session of Nigeria and Turkish Chambers of Commerce and Industry, before departing Nigeria, which provided an opportunity to engage and exchange views on more productive ways of pushing ahead the socio-economic ties between the two countries.
He also commissioned the Turkish Cultural Centre in Abuja as well as opened the newly renovated Government Secondary School in Wuse, Abuja, undertaken by the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIIKA).
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The Summit with the theme “Enhanced Partnership for Common Development and Prosperity’’ will be reviewing the cooperation between African countries and Turkey since the last summit in 2014.
A statement by Presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, indicates that the third Turkey-Africa Partnership Summit is coming on the heels of President Erdogan’s recent State Visit to Nigeria during which several agreements in the fields of energy, defence industry, mining and hydrocarbons were signed to expand existing bilateral ties.
The Turkish leader had, during the visit to Nigeria, affirmed his commitment to immediately expand the volume of trade between the two countries to 5 billion dollars and the Nigerian delegation will seize the opportunity of the gathering in Istanbul to enhance cooperation with other partners for more trade and investment opportunities in the country.
It is expected that the Summit would provide guidelines and direction for cooperation with African countries for the next five years.
President Buhari will be accompanied on the trip by his wife, Aisha Buhari; the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama; Defence, Bashir Magashi FCT, Mohammed Bello; Health, Osagie Ehanire; Agriculture, Mohammed Abubakar; Industry, Trade and Investment, Adeniyi Adebayo; the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Ahmed Abubakar.
The President is expected back in Abuja on Sunday, December 19.
