Nigeria has intensified efforts to attract Spanish investment, positioning itself as a strategic gateway for trade and economic cooperation between Africa and Europe. The engagement was led by Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar (OON), during a high-level meeting with the leadership of CEOE, Spain’s leading business confederation.
Addressing Spanish business leaders, Ambassador Tuggar highlighted Nigeria’s reform-driven economic agenda, emphasizing diversification, structural reforms, and a growing non-oil sector economy. With a population exceeding 200 million, over 70% of whom are young, Nigeria presents opportunities in agriculture, manufacturing, services, technology, and global business services.
Alkasim Abdulkadir, Special Assistant on Media to the Minister of Foreign Affairs,in a release noted that Nigeria’s engagement with Spain aimed to attract long-term, productive investment that strengthens value chains, promotes technology transfer, and positions the country as a hub for regional and continental trade.
Officials emphasized Nigeria’s strategic relevance as Africa’s largest market and a hub for investment in West and Central Africa, particularly under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which opens access to a market of over 1.3 billion people. Priority sectors for Spanish investment include energy and gas, agriculture and agro-processing, infrastructure, industrial development, fintech, technology, and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO).
Nigeria also highlighted policy reforms to improve ease of doing business, regulatory transparency, and investor protection. The country encouraged structured labor mobility in alignment with Spain’s circular migration framework to enhance competitiveness and bilateral trust.
Concluding the engagement, Nigeria positioned itself as an open, reform-oriented economy, inviting Spanish businesses to invest in long-term partnerships that create jobs, add value, and foster sustainable growth.
