Nigeria and Thailand are set to deepen bilateral cooperation, with both countries moving to unlock fresh opportunities in agriculture, technology, commerce and renewable energy.
The push for a broader and more strategic partnership emerged on Wednesday when Vice President Kashim Shettima received a high-powered delegation from Thailand led by its Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sihasak Phuangketkeow, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Shettima, who represented President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the meeting, said Nigeria was ready to move beyond traditional areas of economic engagement and reposition its relationship with Thailand for greater investment and development.
The Vice President called for a comprehensive review of existing bilateral partnerships, particularly to tap into Thailand’s strength in deploying intermediate technology to transform agriculture and related sectors.
“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,” Shettima said.
He stressed that Nigeria’s vast consumer market, youthful population and abundant resources offered enormous opportunities for Thai investors.
“Nigeria is a large market. There are enormous opportunities for partnership and investment in agriculture, ICT, renewable energy, and solid minerals, and we have a young population and workforce,” he said.
The proposed reset comes as Thailand seeks to expand its economic and diplomatic footprint across Africa through a new Thailand-Africa Initiative.
The initiative is expected to strengthen people-to-people relations, economic ties and investment cooperation between Thailand and key African countries, with agriculture identified as a major area of focus.
Nigeria is particularly positioned to benefit from the initiative given its large agricultural market and growing push to modernise production through technology, mechanisation and value-chain development.
The two sides also reaffirmed the cordial relationship between Nigeria and Thailand, while exploring ways to translate the existing ties into concrete investments, technology transfers and stronger economic cooperation.
The renewed engagement signals Nigeria’s determination to leverage international partnerships to accelerate economic diversification, create jobs and expand opportunities in sectors beyond oil.
