By Omoyeni Ojeifo
In a bid to unlock greater economic opportunities and strengthen security cooperation, Nigeria and Thailand have agreed to deepen ties across trade, agriculture, investment, technology and the fight against transnational organised crime.
The agreement was reached at the inaugural Nigeria-Thailand Bilateral Consultations held in Abuja on Monday, where both countries reviewed their relations and identified practical areas for enhanced cooperation.
The two countries also agreed to expand cooperation in trade and investment, agriculture and food security, energy, manufacturing, healthcare, tourism, technology and technical cooperation, while recognising the complementary opportunities offered by their respective markets.
The new spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Oluwafemi Timothy Adeniyi, who took over the position on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, disclosed the outcome of the meeting in a statement emailed to PerSecondNews on Tuesday.
The Nigerian delegation was led by Amb. Grema Garba, Director, Regions Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while the Thai delegation was led by Mrs. Sirilak Nyom, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The meeting also operationalised the Memorandum of Understanding on the Establishment of Bilateral Consultations, signed during the visit of Thailand’s then Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister to Nigeria in 2023.
Nigeria and Thailand, which established diplomatic relations in 1962, reaffirmed the cordial and mutually beneficial nature of their relations, while recognising Nigeria as a gateway to the African market and Thailand as a gateway to Southeast Asia and the wider Asian market.
On the economic front, both sides identified significant opportunities in agriculture, agro-processing, oil and gas, renewable energy, manufacturing, mining, healthcare, tourism, ICT and infrastructure.
They also discussed the possible operationalisation of the Joint Trade Committee, increased private-sector engagement and measures to facilitate trade and investment between both countries.
Agriculture emerged as a priority, with Nigeria expressing interest in Thailand’s expertise in rice production, cassava processing, aquaculture, agricultural machinery and food processing, as well as greater Thai investment in Nigeria’s agricultural value chains.
Both sides recognised the complementary opportunities offered by Nigeria as a gateway to the African market and Thailand as a gateway to Southeast Asia and the wider Asian market,” the statement said.
The consultations further addressed consular, migration and visa matters, with Nigeria raising concerns over visa procedures affecting Nigerian businesspersons, investors, students and tourists travelling to Thailand.
Nigeria called for greater transparency, efficiency and predictability in visa processing, while both sides discussed migration management, trafficking in persons, migrant smuggling, protection of nationals, repatriation and prisoner-transfer arrangements.
On security, both countries reaffirmed the importance of strengthening cooperation against drug trafficking, human trafficking, cybercrime, online scams and other forms of transnational organised crime.
Thailand highlighted its cooperation with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, and the proposed Memorandum of Understanding on narcotic drug control and suppression.
It also introduced the SHIELD database for information-sharing on scams and human trafficking and expressed readiness to enhance intelligence sharing, digital forensics, law-enforcement coordination and capacity building.
PerSecondNews recalls that the NDLEA recently uncovered a new maritime drug route linking Thailand to Nigeria, following the interception of Thai Loud cannabis in containers at Lagos ports.
Both countries also welcomed expanded technical cooperation through the Thailand International Cooperation Agency, TICA, including training, scholarships and institutional partnerships in agriculture, food innovation, climate resilience, renewable energy and digital technology.
Nigeria and Thailand reaffirmed their commitment to multilateralism, international peace and security, regional integration and a rules-based international order, including comprehensive reform of the United Nations Security Council to ensure equitable representation for Africa and stronger participation of developing countries in global decision-making.
Nigeria welcomed Thailand’s Thailand-Africa Initiative and expressed readiness to support stronger Thai engagement with the African Union and ECOWAS.
According to the ministry, both sides also exchanged views on regional developments, including the importance of dialogue, confidence-building and coordinated responses to insecurity in West Africa and the Sahel.
They agreed to continue consultations on cooperation within multilateral organisations and mutual support for candidates seeking positions in international institutions.
The meeting ended with satisfaction from both sides on the outcome , with both countries reaffirming their determination to translate the discussions into concrete programmes and deliverables.
Thailand expressed readiness to host the second Nigeria-Thailand Bilateral Consultations in Bangkok on a mutually agreed date and indicated its interest in advancing outstanding bilateral agreements.
Nigeria reaffirmed its commitment to working closely with Thailand to deepen the longstanding friendship and expand mutually beneficial cooperation in economic, agricultural, technological, security, consular, developmental and multilateral affairs.