Nigeria and Ethiopia have concluded plans to hold a Joint Ministerial Commission meeting in Addis Ababa in June, 2022, to discuss various areas of bilateral relationship and exchange perspectives on a wide range of international issues of mutual interest.
To this end, President Muhammadu Buhari, on Wednesday, hosted the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Dr. Abiy Ahmed, to a state visit and a presidential lunch attended by the First Lady of Nigeria, Aisha Buhari and Ethiopian First Lady Zinash Tayachew, at the State House, Abuja.
A major fall out of the visit was the desire of both countries to take concrete steps to expand bilateral relations in key areas including the economy, trade, science and technology, solid minerals, among others.
Briefing newsmen after the visit, Nigeria’s Ambassador to Ethiopia, Victor Adeleke, explained the essence of the visit and the burgeoning state of relations between both countries.
According to him, the state of relations between Nigeria and Ethiopia was warm, adding that, “we are working together and we will soon be convening the Joint Ministerial Commission to discuss various areas of relationship that will be beneficial to both countries.
‘‘Nigerian officials are heading to Addis Ababa in June to discuss various areas of relationship including political, economic, science and technology, mines and industry.
‘‘We have been engaging and we will continue to engage”.
The envoy further said: ‘‘The Ethiopian Prime Minister, Dr Abiy Ahmed has always taken Nigeria as one of the pillars in Africa and a strong country in stabilising democracy in Africa.
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The Nigeria-Ethiopian has been nurtured over the years and in 2020, it again culminated in another symbiotic agreement when the duo signed a Visa Waiver agreement.
The visa waiver agreement would reportedly help to ease the movement of officials between the two countries and strengthen the bilateral relations.
Also, both countries agreed to sign the Memorandum of Understanding on Defence Cooperation with the aim of coordinating efforts to fight against terrorism while also securing peace and stability in their regions as well as Africa as a whole.
With the forthcoming bilateral talk, it is believed that many issues would be addressed to strengthen the relationship between Nigeria and Ethiopia.
