Nigeria and Thailand are exploring opportunities to strengthen their bilateral relations, with both countries identifying agriculture, technology, commerce and renewable energy as key areas for deeper cooperation.
The discussions took place on Wednesday when Vice-President Kashim Shettima received a delegation from Thailand led by its Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister, Yousef Hassan Khalawi, at the State House in Abuja.
Representing President Bola Tinubu, Shettima said Nigeria was interested in reviewing its existing relationship with Thailand to develop partnerships that would deliver greater economic benefits to both countries.
He noted that Thailand’s experience in intermediate technology, particularly in agriculture, could complement Nigeria’s efforts to modernise its agricultural sector.
Shettima said Nigeria’s large market, young population and abundant natural resources provided opportunities for Thai investors in areas including agriculture, information and communications technology, renewable energy and solid minerals.
“I believe that our relationship should go beyond transactions in crude oil, rice production and so on. So, there is a need for us to review our bilateral relationship at a strategic level,” he said.
The Vice-President also encouraged Thailand to continue investing and doing business in Nigeria, describing the country as strategically positioned on the African continent.
He said Nigeria’s demographic advantage and natural resources made it an important partner for international investment and economic cooperation.
Earlier, Khalawi described Nigeria as a strategic partner for Thailand and praised what he described as the country’s transformation under the Tinubu administration.
He also described Nigeria as a strong voice in the Global South and an emerging leader in e-commerce.
The Thai official disclosed that his country was proposing a new Thailand-Africa Initiative, designed to strengthen economic and people-to-people relations between Thailand and African countries.
According to him, agriculture would be one of the major areas of cooperation under the proposed initiative.
The talks are expected to provide a basis for expanding existing bilateral ties while opening new opportunities for investment, technology transfer and economic cooperation between Nigeria and Thailand.
