Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Abuja on 16-17 November, 2024 enhances India’s relations with Nigeria, a key country in the African continent, in the political, economic and security spheres.

In recent years, India has stepped up its engagement with the African region. The main mantra of Prime Minister Modi’s engagement with Africa is that it will be guided by African priorities. In his words, “it will be on terms that will be comfortable for you…that will liberate your potential and not constrain your future.”
^[1] As India enhances its engagement with the African region it is really important that it strengthens its partnership with Nigeria, the African powerhouse. As Nigerian President Obasanjo once claimed, “If you get it right in Nigeria, you are likely to get it right on the rest of the continent”. ^[2] Nigeria is the largest economy and most populous country in Africa. Moreover, Nigeria has since its independence played a leadership role in Africa. It continues to shape the country’s role in organisations like the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Development Bank, where it is the largest contributor.

India shares warm and close relations with Nigeria. India’s diplomatic relations with Nigeria can be traced back two years before Nigeria’s independence. In 1958, India opened its diplomatic mission in Lagos. Since then, India’s relations with Nigeria are going strong. In 2007, during the visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Nigeria, India and Nigeria elevated their ties to a strategic partnership. After that the only high-level visit to Nigeria was by Vice President Hamid Ansari in 2016. During this visit MoU’s were signed between the two sides in renewable energy, customs and health. ^[3] There have been regular visits by the Nigerian leaders to India, latest was by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2023, during the G20 summit hosted by India.

Prime Minister Modi’s Visit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Nigeria will boost the strategic partnership between the two countries. During the visit, Prime Minister Modi was conferred with the second highest Nigerian national award, “The Grand Commander of the order of Niger” for his exemplary contribution in promoting ties between the two countries. ^[4] Prime Minister Modi is the second foreign dignitary to receive this award. The award was earlier given to Queen Elizabeth in 1969. During the official talks, Prime Minister Modi and President Bola Tinubu, reviewed the partnership and discussed the possibilities of expanding cooperation in trade, investment, agriculture, health, education, energy, digital infrastructure and culture. ^[5] The MoU’s on cultural exchange, customs and survey signed will help in expanding the relationship. ^[6]

India considers Nigeria an important partner in Africa and the Global South. Prime Minister’s visit to Nigeria provided an opportunity to discuss the partnership in the multilateral sphere. During India’s Presidency of the Group of 20 (G20) in 2023, Prime Minister Modi invited President Bola Tinubu as a guest country. This was the first time Nigeria was invited to participate in the forum. The two countries are also together at the BRICS forum. During the recent BRICS summit held at Kazan in Russia, Nigeria was inducted in grouping as a partner country. No doubt both countries share common concern for achieving an inclusive global multilateral order. During his visit Prime Minister Modi and President Tinubu reaffirmed their commitment to cooperate in this area.

Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Nigeria takes place at the time when the world is facing geopolitical tensions with conflicts in Ukraine and West Asia. The West African region has also been rife with insecurity and instability. It has witnessed rise of piracy, terrorism, drug and narcotics trafficking, human trafficking, conflict, political tensions and unconstitutional change in governments. Prime Minister Modi and President Tinubu also took stock of the global and regional developments.

Cultural, particularly diaspora connect is an important part of India’s engagement with Nigeria. The presence of around 60,000 people of Indian origin in Nigeria serves as an important link to the West African country. ^[7] During his visit, Prime Minister Modi addressed a gathering of Indian community. Here, apart from highlighting India’s growing global stature and economic prowess, he invited the Indian diaspora along with Nigerian people to visit India and be part of the dream of ‘Vikisit Bharat’.

Way Forward

It is hoped that the two leaders’ plan to expand economic, security and cultural cooperation between India and Nigeria moves forward. Economic cooperation, in particular, is crucial aspect of India’s relations with Nigeria. Currently, Nigeria is amongst India’s top five trading partners in Africa. India has invested in Nigeria in a big way. Around 200 Indian companies are present in Nigeria. ^[8] More importantly, Indian companies are the second largest employment provider in the country. ^[9]

There is no doubt that the economic relationship between the two countries is dominated by crude oil imports. ^[10] However, the bilateral trade between two countries has come down from US$ 14.95 billion in 2021-22 to US$ 7.89 billion in 2023-24. ^[11] This is mainly due to reduction in crude oil purchased by India. The geopolitical tensions in the oil rich Delta state, oil theft and flight of capital have reduced the oil production in the country considerably, putting a damper on cooperation in the hydrocarbon sphere. ^[12] However, there is ample scope of cooperation in renewables. Like India, Nigeria is also transitioning towards more sustainable energy mix. They look towards India in supporting the renewables development roadmap in the country.

Another important area of cooperation is in the health sector. India provides the majority of pharmaceuticals to the country. Covid- 19 pandemic has led to a focus on the health sector across the world. There is need to enhance this cooperation between the two countries. There is also a potential for cooperation in agriculture. The current Ukraine crisis and resultant supply chain issues, has increased the focus on food security and domestic agricultural production in Nigeria and other food grain importing countries. Both India and Nigeria are largely agrarian societies, therefore scope for cooperation on development of agricultural infrastructure, mechanisation of agriculture, research and development are immense.

India has close ties with Nigeria in the defence and security sector. This began in the 1960s when India helped set up military institutions such as the Nigerian Defence Academy in Kaduna and the Naval College at Port Harcourt in Nigeria. ^[13] In 2007, during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit, a MoU on defence cooperation was signed. The main focus of the cooperation has been on training and capacity building. A number of Nigerian officers have also been trained in India under the auspices of the Indian Technical and Economic cooperation programme established by India in 1964. Both India and Nigeria share common security threats like rising maritime insecurity and terrorism. The Gulf of Guinea region on Nigeria’s coastline has become a hotspot of piracy. Similarly, the Boko Haram extremist group and its affiliates have terrorised Nigeria and its neighbouring countries for several years. There has been some progress made in form of joint anti- piracy patrols by Indian Navy in the troubled Gulf of Guinea region. Similarly, the National Security Advisor level dialogue on countering terrorism is a step in the right direction. There is also an interest in Nigeria to procure military equipment from India, particularly, Light Combat Aircraft-Tejas. ^[14] Thus, much more can be done towards enhancing maritime, counter- terrorism and defence industry cooperation.

India and Nigeria have close cooperation in socio-cultural areas too. Education, training and capacity building have been a significant part of India’s engagement. Since the 1960s, India has offered a number of scholarships to Nigerian students to study in India. Currently, around 5,000 Nigerians are studying in India. ^[15] The enhancement of people-to-people interaction, particularly with Indian diaspora needs to be considered.

The multi-faceted crisis in the form of Covid-19 pandemic and conflicts in Ukraine, Israel-Palestine and Sudan have already exposed the inefficacy of multilateral institutions. Existing global institutional framework does not reflect the contemporary realities. India and Nigeria have always pitched for reform in institutions such as the United Nations, World Trade Organisation, World Bank and the IMF. There is greater scope for cooperation between both the nations to prioritise the issues of Global South at multilateral forums.

In conclusion, India and Nigeria have a shared vision of democracy, global peace, security and development. They also have a large population that perseveres to co- exist amidst diversity. It is hoped that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Nigeria will go a long way in strengthening the partnership between the two countries.

References

^[1] Elizabeth Roche, “Narendra Modi’s 10 guiding principles for India Africa ties” LiveMint 25 July 2018 at https://www.livemint.com/Politics/nYzBEWMFuwAdAgxeb2BBKM/Narendra-Modis-10-guiding-principles-for-India-Africa-ties.html ( Accessed 17 November 2024)
^[2] Sharkdam Wapmuk, Nigeria-India Relations in a Changing World Lanham: Lexington Books, 2021
^[3] India- Nigeria bilateral relations. Ministry of External Affairs, India at www.mea.gov.in/Portal/ForeignRelation/NigeriaBilateralBriefUnclassified.pdf ( Accessed 17 November 2024)
^[4] Prime Minister conferred with the national award - “Grand Commander of the Order of Niger” , November 17, 2024 at https://www.mea.gov.in/outoging-visit-detail.htm?38528/Prime+Minister+conferred+with+the+national+award+++Grand+Commander+of+the+Order+of+Niger ( Accessed 17 November 2024)
^[5] “Prime Minister holds official talks with President of Nigeria” 17 November 2024 at https://www.mea.gov.in/press-releases.htm?dtl/38527/Prime_Minister_holds_official_talks_with_President_of_Nigeria (Accessed 17 November 2024)
^[6] Ibid
^[7] Population of Overseas Indians, Ministry of External Affairs, May 21, 2024 at https://www.mea.gov.in/population-of-overseas-indians.htm ( Accessed 18 November 2024)
^[8] India- Nigeria bilateral economic and commercial relations, at https://hciabuja.gov.in/public_files/assets/pdf/Commercial_Brief_25oct2024.pdf
^[9] Ibid
^[10] Ruchita Beri, “ India-Nigeria Relations: On the Upswing” Africa Trends June 2013 at https://idsa.in/africatrends/india-nigeria-relations-on-the-upswing_0613 ( Accessed 17 November 2024)
^[11] India- Nigeria bilateral relations, n.3.
^[12] Ben Payton, “Nigeria’s shift to renewables picks up momentum” African Business 22 January 2024 at https://african.business/2024/01/energy-resources/nigerias-shift-to-renewables-picks-up-momentum (Accessed 16 November 2024)
^[13] India- Nigeria bilateral relations,n.3, See also, ‘VIF-NIIA webinar on India-Nigeria relations under the “Connect Africa” Programme’ 19 December 2022 at https://www.vifindia.org/print/11048 (Accessed 16 November 2024)
^[14] Dalip Singh, “With an eye on African defence market, Indian delegation heads for Nigeria” The Hindu 6 March 2024 at https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/national/with-an-eye-on-african-defence-market-indian-delegation-heads-for-nigeria/article67920952.ece (Accessed 16 November 2024)
^[15] Huma Siddiqui, “Bridging continents: India and Nigeria’s bold vision for future cooperation” Financial Times. 31 October 2024 at https://www.financialexpress.com/india-news/bridging-continents-india-and-nigerias-bold-vision-for-future-cooperation/3653423/ (Accessed 16 November 2024)

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