Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Alibek Kuantyrov held meetings with senior officials from Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Ministry of Petroleum Resources, and other key government agencies. These discussions as part of the official visit of the Kazakh delegation are aimed to enhance economic and political cooperation between the two nations.
During talks with Permanent Secretary of Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dunoma Umar Ahmed, the two sides explored opportunities for strengthening collaboration on international platforms, including the UN, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and other multilateral formats. The discussions also covered economic cooperation, with an emphasis on boosting direct engagement between the business communities of both countries.
Deputy Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan underscored the importance of strengthening ties with Nigeria, noting that the meeting between the presidents of Kazakhstan and Nigeria in Abu Dhabi in January 2025 set an ambitious pace for cooperation and outlined promising areas of engagement. “To enhance trade relations, we propose establishing direct connections between the business sectors of Kazakhstan and Nigeria, organizing trade missions, and addressing bilateral trade challenges together. Strengthening these ties will create new opportunities for business partnerships and deepen economic cooperation between our countries”, said Kuantyrov.
In his meeting with Nigeria’s Minister of Petroleum Resources, Heineken Lokpobiri, the discussions focused on exploration, extraction, transportation, and refining of oil and petroleum products. Kazakhstan and Nigeria expressed interest in exploring potential deliveries of Kazakh oil for processing at Nigerian refineries. Minister Lokpobiri reaffirmed Nigeria’s strong interest in the partnership, highlighting that, despite being one of the world’s largest oil producers, Nigeria requires additional crude supplies to meet domestic demand and expand petroleum product exports.
The Kazakh delegation also held talks with Nigeria’s Minister of Gas, Ekperikpe Ekpo, discussing potential collaboration in the natural gas sector, including supply agreements, gas processing technologies, and the involvement of Kazakh companies in developing Nigeria’s gas infrastructure. Minister Ekpo emphasized Nigeria’s commitment to transitioning to cleaner energy solutions, reducing carbon emissions, and building a sustainable economy.
During a meeting with Permanent Secretary of Nigeria’s Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment, Nura Abba Rimi, investment opportunities in the mining sector were reviewed, particularly in exploration and processing of mineral resources. The Kazakh delegation expressed interest in leveraging innovative processing technologies and establishing joint production facilities.
Additionally, Kazakhstan presented a list of over 300 product categories for export to Nigeria, while also expressing interest in direct imports of cocoa beans from Nigeria. Potential trade corridors for transporting goods between the two countries were discussed, with three possible routes currently under evaluation in cooperation with Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Transport.
The visit also included a meeting with the Managing Director of NEXIM Nigeria, the country’s leading export-import financing institution. The discussions concluded with an agreement to sign a Memorandum of Understanding between NEXIM Nigeria and Kazakhstan’s Export Credit Agency, paving the way for future financial cooperation.
