Türkiye pledges counter-terrorism and energy cooperation with Nigeria

2026-01-27 - 20:50

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has pledged Türkiye’s full support to Nigeria in its counter-terrorism efforts during an official visit by Nigerian Head of State Bola Ahmed Tinubu to Ankara. The meeting resulted in commitments to bolster defense cooperation and advance a shared economic agenda. Strengthening defense and security ties Addressing a joint press conference on Tuesday, President Erdogan emphasized that Türkiye stands with Nigeria as it takes firm steps against terrorism. "We are ready to share Türkiye’s significant experience in counterterrorism," Erdogan stated, highlighting the threat posed by militant groups in the Sahel region. He noted that Nigerian officials held meetings with leading Turkish defense firms, expressing confidence in positive outcomes from the talks on military training and intelligence sharing. Economic ambitions and energy partnership The leaders reaffirmed a bilateral trade volume target of $5 billion and established a Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) to facilitate this goal. President Erdogan pointed to Nigeria's role as Africa's largest oil and gas producer, stating, "Türkiye supports investments in Nigeria and welcomes cooperation between Turkish Petroleum Corporation, BOTAS, and Nigerian energy firms." He described Nigeria as key to restructuring the continent's energy economy. Expanding cooperation through new agreements The visit culminated in the signing of nine agreements and memoranda of understanding spanning diaspora policy, media, higher education, halal accreditation, and military cooperation. Erdogan also highlighted the planned opening of a Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) office in Abuja and the expansion of educational ties through scholarships and the Maarif Foundation. Nigeria is Türkiye’s closest trade partner in Sub-Saharan Africa, with bilateral trade reaching $688.4 million in the first eleven months of 2025.