On August 20, a significant diplomatic meeting took place between Mr. Iwaya Takeshi, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, and Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The meeting commenced at 4:20 p.m. and lasted approximately 25 minutes. Tuggar is in Japan to participate in the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9).
At the start of the meeting, Iwaya expressed Japan’s strong desire to deepen cooperation with Nigeria, recognising the country as a leader in Africa that shares core values such as democracy and the rule of law.
He emphasised the importance of collaboration on economic matters and global challenges.
Tuggar responded by highly appreciating Japan’s ongoing efforts through the public and private sectors in supporting TICAD initiatives.
He underscored Nigeria’s intention to strengthen bilateral cooperation with Japan further, focusing particularly on the economic and climate change sectors, as well as collaboration in international forums.
Building on these discussions, Iwaya outlined Japan’s intention to enhance cooperation with Nigeria in supporting startups and expanding partnerships in areas such as global health.
Tuggar expressed gratitude for Japan’s support and conveyed Nigeria’s ambition to deepen bilateral relations in business, international cooperation, and emerging fields such as mineral resources, artificial intelligence capacity building, and fisheries.
He reiterated Nigeria’s commitment to promoting startup ecosystems and economic integration and expressed a keen interest in attracting further Japanese investment.
Both ministers also confirmed their commitment to address diverse regional and international security challenges jointly. This includes coordinated policies on North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs, the abductions issue, and reforms of the United Nations Security Council.
The meeting highlighted a mutual resolve to strengthen Japan-Nigeria relations across multiple sectors, reflecting the evolving partnership between the two nations within the framework of TICAD 9.
