Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment Dr. Jumoke Oduwole. The Federal Government and the European Union have reaffirmed their commitment to deepening their strategic economic partnership as part of efforts to attract greater investment, expand trade, and accelerate sustainable economic growth, according to a statement by the EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS on Friday in Abuja.
The commitment was reaffirmed at the 10th Nigeria–EU Business Forum, where government officials and European partners said ongoing economic reforms and stronger policy coordination were positioning Nigeria for increased investment and long-term private sector-led growth.
Speaking at the forum, the Ambassador of the European Union to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot, said the event marked the first major milestone since both sides elevated their relationship to a strengthened Strategic Partnership during the EU–Nigeria Ministerial Meeting in March 2026.
“Today’s Business Forum is the first concrete illustration of this common purpose,” Mignot said. He noted that the European Union accounts for 31 per cent of Nigeria’s foreign trade and remains the country’s largest source of foreign direct investment. According to him, the partnership is gaining momentum through the European Union’s Global Gateway strategy, expanded European Investment Bank operations, the commencement of European Bank for Reconstruction and Development activities in Nigeria, stronger Team Europe coordination, and a structured Nigeria-EU trade and investment dialogue.
Delivering the keynote address on behalf of Vice President Kashim Shettima, the Director-General of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council, Princess Zahra Mustapha Audu, described the Nigeria-EU relationship as “a strategic economic alliance” that extends beyond diplomatic engagement.
She disclosed that the partnership currently supports more than €35bn in annual trade, approximately €26bn in European foreign direct investment, and more than 130,000 direct jobs across Nigeria. “The Nigeria-EU Business Forum has evolved beyond a dialogue platform.
It has become an important vehicle for translating shared aspirations into investments, commercial partnerships, policy reforms, and development outcomes,” she said. Audu said the forum had become a platform “where policy meets enterprise, where dialogue meets execution, and where opportunities are transformed into investments.” She maintained that the Federal Government’s ongoing economic reforms were improving macroeconomic stability, strengthening investor confidence, and positioning Nigeria as a preferred destination for productive investment.
“The success of the Nigeria-EU partnership will be measured not only by the agreements we sign, but by the infrastructure we build, the industries we develop, and the technologies we deploy,” she added. Related News FG, EU deepen economic partnership to drive investment, growth Fubara urges private sector to develop Nigeria’s blue economy ‘High borrowing costs threaten Africa’s mergers, acquisitions’ The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, said the forum reflected growing confidence in Nigeria’s reform programme and reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to creating a more competitive investment climate.
“Our work here as government is simple: to listen, to partner, to further our collaborative interventions,” Oduwole said. She added that recommendations from the private sector would help shape policies aimed at improving Nigeria’s competitiveness and attracting more investment into key sectors of the economy.
Also speaking, the Minister of State for Budget and Economic Planning, Dr Doris Uzoka-Anite, who represented the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, said Nigeria’s economic transformation was being driven by deliberate reforms, fiscal discipline, and coordinated implementation.