Nigeria and Tunisia have agreed to fast-track bilateral cooperation in trade, defence, education, technology and other strategic sectors as both countries moved to strengthen their longstanding diplomatic relations.
The commitment was made on Monday in Abuja when the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, received the Ambassador of Tunisia to Nigeria, Mohsen Antit.
During the meeting, Ambassador Antit congratulated the minister on her appointment and conveyed the goodwill of the Tunisian government. He expressed Tunisia’s desire to deepen its cordial relationship with Nigeria and proposed the revival of the Nigeria-Tunisia Joint Commission as a strategic platform for expanding cooperation in critical sectors.
Responding, Odumegwu-Ojukwu welcomed the proposal, describing the Joint Commission as an important mechanism for promoting trade, investment and economic collaboration between the two countries. She stressed the need to identify practical opportunities for Nigerian and Tunisian entrepreneurs through capacity-building initiatives, business partnerships and tourism development.
The discussions also focused on improving air connectivity between both countries, with the Tunisian envoy disclosing ongoing efforts to establish proposed flight routes linking Tunis, Cotonou and Abuja. Both sides also explored the conclusion of agreements on visa-free travel for holders of diplomatic passports, defence cooperation and other areas of mutual interest.
Ambassador Antit further invited the Nigerian foreign minister to undertake an official visit to Tunisia to explore investment opportunities and the country’s growing tourism sector.
On education and technology, the Tunisian ambassador revealed that his country offers six fully funded scholarships annually to Nigerian students but lamented that the opportunities have remained largely underutilised. He also proposed the establishment of drone manufacturing facilities in Bauchi State as part of efforts to deepen technological and industrial cooperation.
The minister assured the ambassador that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would engage relevant stakeholders, including the Federal Ministry of Education, to improve awareness and utilisation of the scholarship programme.
The meeting also reviewed regional peace and security challenges, with Odumegwu-Ojukwu seeking Tunisia’s experience in addressing the proliferation of small arms and light weapons from Libya. In response, Ambassador Antit explained that Tunisia had adopted a five-layer border security system to curb illicit arms trafficking.
Both countries reaffirmed their commitment to convening the Nigeria-Tunisia Joint Commission at the earliest opportunity and concluding pending bilateral agreements on double taxation avoidance, defence cooperation, livestock development, legal and judicial cooperation, education, business promotion, technology transfer and visa-free arrangements for holders of diplomatic passports.
They also pledged to sustain high-level engagements aimed at advancing their shared bilateral objectives and strengthening cooperation for the mutual benefit of both nations.
