Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, has disclosed that Nigeria and Egypt are intensifying bilateral cooperation across key sectors following a high-level meeting with her Egyptian counterpart in Seoul, South Korea.
In a Friday statement, the minister said the engagement with Egypt’s Foreign Minister, Badr Abdelatty, took place on the sidelines of the 2026 Korea–Africa Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and provided an opportunity to review ongoing partnerships between both countries.
“This High level gathering in Seoul, South Korea presented a great opportunity to have a bilateral engagement with Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Badr Abdelatty.”
She noted that Nigeria and Egypt share a long-standing diplomatic relationship anchored on Pan-African ideals and cooperation within the African Union (AU) and other multilateral frameworks.
“Nigeria and Egypt maintain strong diplomatic relations rooted in over 60 years of partnership, built on shared Pan-African ideals and cooperation within the African Union (AU) and other multilateral institutions.”
According to her, both countries are stepping up efforts to expand cooperation in trade, aviation connectivity, and regional stability, while also strengthening people-to-people ties.
“Our two nations are intensifying bilateral efforts to boost trade, aviation connectivity, and regional stability.”
The minister also highlighted the growing Nigerian presence in Egypt’s academic and professional space, noting that thousands of Nigerians are currently engaged in higher education and institutional partnerships.
“There are approximately 7000 Nigerians in Egypt’s higher institutions, and a large number of Nigerian professionals, institutions and state governments have signed MOUs with Egyptian institutions in the area of training, research and trade partnership.”
On economic cooperation, she said discussions focused on expanding bilateral trade and building on recent engagements between both countries’ private sectors.
“Key discussion points and outcomes of the meeting include the expansion of our bilateral economic ties, building on the momentum of the July 2025 Egyptian-Nigerian Business Forum held in Abuja. Bilateral trade between our two countries has recently climbed to over $315 million.”
She added that both sides also explored investment opportunities in strategic sectors, including agriculture, pharmaceuticals, energy, construction, and information technology, while agreeing on the need for renewed political consultations.
“We also explored possibilities for greater investments in strategic sectors, particularly agriculture, pharmaceuticals, energy, construction, and information technology. We both expressed the urgent need for convening the next round of ministerial-level political consultations between Nigeria and Egypt at the earliest opportunity to bolster bilateral cooperation.”
