Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are seeking to deepen bilateral relations after trade between both countries reached about $5 billion in 2025, up from approximately $3 billion in previous years.

The two countries reviewed trade and investment, economic cooperation, aviation connectivity, emerging technologies and people-to-people relations during a high-level meeting in Abuja.

The meeting was held on Wednesday between Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, and the UAE Ambassador to Nigeria, Salem Saeed Alshamsi.

A statement issued on Thursday by the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, said both sides reaffirmed their commitment to expanding economic and diplomatic cooperation.

The UAE ambassador highlighted the significant growth in bilateral trade, which rose from about $3 billion to $4.3 billion in 2024 and approximately $5 billion in 2025.

Alshamsi expressed optimism that stronger political relations between both countries would translate into increased trade, investment and economic opportunities.

A major focus of the discussions was the Nigeria-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).

The ambassador said the UAE had ratified the agreement and expressed hope that Nigeria would complete its own processes to pave the way for full implementation.

The agreement is expected to provide a framework for expanding trade and investment between both countries while creating greater opportunities for businesses and investors.

The two sides also discussed aviation connectivity, particularly the proposed commencement of Emirates Airline operations in Abuja.

According to the statement, consultations are ongoing with relevant Nigerian authorities to strengthen air connectivity and facilitate increased movement between Nigeria and the UAE.

Responding, Enikanolaiye thanked the UAE for its continued commitment to Nigeria and welcomed the growth in non-oil trade and investment.

He said stronger economic ties with the UAE aligned with Nigeria’s economic diplomacy priorities, particularly efforts to diversify export markets and promote manufacturing, services, technology and fintech.

The minister reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to completing the necessary processes for CEPA implementation and called for the early convening of the Nigeria-UAE Joint Commission to resolve outstanding issues and identify new areas of cooperation.

Beyond trade and investment, both countries identified artificial intelligence, digital technology and other emerging technologies as areas with significant potential for deeper collaboration.

The Nigerian delegation expressed interest in knowledge transfer, skills development and capacity building, particularly for young Nigerians, while welcoming increased UAE investment in strategic sectors including infrastructure, technology, energy and financial services.

The meeting also addressed people-to-people relations and the movement of citizens between both countries.

Both sides welcomed progress in resolving previous visa-related challenges, saying improved travel arrangements would facilitate greater movement for business, investment, tourism and other purposes.

The Nigerian government said closer cooperation with the UAE would support its broader economic diversification agenda and help attract investment into priority sectors.

The meeting ended with both countries expressing confidence that sustained political engagement, stronger economic cooperation and closer institutional collaboration would translate into greater benefits for their citizens.

With bilateral trade now standing at about $5 billion, Nigeria and the UAE are positioning the relationship for further expansion through trade liberalisation, investment, technology transfer, aviation connectivity and stronger people-to-people ties.