Tag: Tuggar

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, has reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to deepening longstanding strategic partnership with the European Union (EU).

Tuggar noted the EU remains Nigeria’s largest trading partner and a critical ally in regional development, peace, and integration.

The Minister spoke  while hosting a six-member delegation from the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tafawa Balewa House, Abuja. 

The visiting parliamentarians, drawn from five countries and representing three different political groups, were in Nigeria as part of a working visit to strengthen bilateral relations and gain a deeper understanding of developments in West Africa.

Discussions held in Abuja are expected to inform the EU’s policy input ahead of the forthcoming EU–African Union Summit in Angola later in November.

Tuggar noted that any engagement with the EU is “a very important one” for Nigeria given the continent’s economic and political influence.

“Europe continues to be our largest trading partner, accounting for no less than €31.8 billion in trade volume.

“For us, the European Union is not a distant partner we consider ourselves neighbours, separated only by the Mediterranean, which is water in the middle of land.”

He stressed that Nigeria’s relationship with the EU transcends commerce, extending to security cooperation, regional stability, and sustainable development. 

The Minister also highlighted Nigeria’s recent admission as the 77th shareholder in the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), describing it as a milestone that reinforces the country’s commitment to international cooperation and investment.

Tuggar said:  “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration prioritises food security as the foundation of national stability, especially with Nigeria’s population projected to grow from 230 million to over 400 million by 2050.

“We are in a race against time to feed our population, create jobs, and promote sustainable growth. As the leader of our region and a key player on the continent, Nigeria bears the responsibility of fostering integration and ensuring the prosperity of the African market.”

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He also pointed out that the West African bloc look up to the European Union as a model of integration and partnership, “and we are committed to strengthening our collaboration.”

Speaking on behalf of the delegation, Member of the European Parliament and Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, David MacAllister described Nigeria as a “strategic partner” for the European Union, highlighting the country’s political influence, population strength, and regional leadership within ECOWAS.

“Nigeria is not only Africa’s most populous nation but also a major regional, political, and economic power in West Africa.

“We are here to listen, learn, and deepen our engagement with your great country.”

The delegation commended Minister Tuggar for engaging them in a detailed and open discussion on regional affairs, including developments in ECOWAS, the African Union, and the Sahel region. 

MacAllister said: “To sum it up in one sentence, Nigeria matters. Nigeria matters for us in the European Union.

“We are very keen to take our relationship with Nigeria to the next level, and this will be the message we take back to Brussels.”

The visit forms part of a broader mission to West Africa, with the delegation scheduled to spend two and a half days in Nigeria before proceeding to Ghana. 

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, has congratulated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on what he described as a “historic diplomatic success” recorded by Nigeria at the 27th Ministerial Meeting of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) held in Doha, Qatar.

At the high-level gathering, Dr Philip Mshelbila, Managing Director of the Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG), was elected Secretary-General of the GECF, while Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas),  Ekperikpe Ekpo, emerged President of the 2026 GECF Ministerial Meeting.

According to a statement by his office,

Ambassador Tuggar hailed the twin achievements as “clear testaments to President Tinubu’s proactive foreign policy engagements and his strategic vision to restore Nigeria’s influence in global energy diplomacy under the Renewed Hope Agenda.”

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He disclosed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs played a pivotal role in supporting Nigeria’s successful candidature through coordinated diplomatic outreach via Nigeria’s missions to all GECF member states, formal campaign launches, and sustained engagement with African counterparts to secure unified continental backing.

According to the minister, the diplomatic drive was reinforced by Nigeria’s bilateral engagements at major global summits, including the BRICS Summit in Brazil and the African Union 7th Mid-Year Coordination Meeting in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, with strong political support from the Presidency ensuring the country’s wide acceptance.

Tuggar commended Mshelbila and Ekpo for bringing “stellar credentials and experience” to their new international positions, describing their elections as “victories not only for Nigeria but for Africa’s collective voice in global energy governance.”

He expressed confidence that their leadership would strengthen the GECF’s role in shaping the global energy transition, promoting equitable resource management, and advancing sustainable development.

Reaffirming his ministry’s commitment to sustaining Nigeria’s rising diplomatic profile, Tuggar said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would continue to align its engagements with President Tinubu’s vision of a reformed, respected, and economically vibrant Nigeria whose foreign policy delivers tangible benefits to its citizens.

Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, has said the country’s foreign policy must directly serve its economic ambitions by unlocking trade corridors, attracting investment, and forging partnerships that strengthen the domestic economy.

Speaking at the 31st Nigerian Economic Summit (NES #31) in Abuja, Ambassador Tuggar said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is now fully oriented toward economic diplomacy, guided by Nigeria’s “4D Foreign Policy Doctrine” — Democracy, Development, Demography, and Diaspora.

“Under President Tinubu’s leadership, Nigeria’s foreign policy is defined by strategic autonomy,” he said. “We pursue partnerships of purpose, not alliances of obligation. Nigeria must reject binary ideological alignments and instead embrace issue-based relationships that advance national interest. We are too significant a nation to engage in bandwagon diplomacy.”

Tuggar said Nigeria’s diplomatic efforts are being shaped to advance trade, regional development, and industrial competitiveness.

He pointed to the recently launched West Africa Economic Summit (WAES) as a major platform for advancing cross-border industrialization, trade, and infrastructure integration within the subregion.

“Nigeria’s prosperity is tied to West Africa’s progress,” he stated. “The more we invest in regional value chains and policy harmonization, the more resilient and competitive we become as a bloc.”

The minister noted that Nigeria’s development strategy must align with successful global models, drawing lessons from emerging middle-power economies such as MIKTA — Mexico, Indonesia, Korea, Turkiye, and Australia — as well as the East Asian “Flying Geese Paradigm,” where nations industrialized through coordinated progression.

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“With our demographic weight, market size, and strategic geography, Nigeria has the scale and capacity to lead Africa’s own ‘flying geese’ formation,” Tuggar said. “But leadership must be earned — through sound policies, productive investment, regional coordination, and institutional credibility.”

He also called for deeper collaboration between Nigeria’s policy and research institutions to ensure that the country’s domestic reforms and international engagements are guided by evidence-based strategies.

“We must invest in policy intelligence,” he said. “That means building a pipeline of ideas, innovation, and informed foresight through collaboration between government, academia, civil society, and research institutions. Geopolitics today is the realm of weaponized interdependence — we must be smarter, faster, and more strategic.”

Tuggar commended the work of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) and other think tanks, noting their vital role in shaping research-driven policy that strengthens Nigeria’s global standing.

He said the Foreign Ministry remains committed to a results-driven approach, ensuring that Nigeria’s diplomacy delivers tangible benefits to its citizens.

“Whether through advancing trade under AfCFTA, facilitating investment flows, supporting climate finance, or championing Africa’s voice in global fora, our diplomacy must deliver concrete benefits to Nigerians,” he said.

Ambassador Tuggar expressed confidence that the deliberations at the summit would translate into actionable outcomes and renewed commitment among stakeholders to drive national progress.

“Our challenge is to turn dialogue into delivery,” he said. “If we align our ambition with implementation, Nigeria will not only reform but lead — regionally, globally, and in the hearts of our people.”

Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, has urged African nations to embrace economic diplomacy that prioritises investment, inclusivity, and gender equity as the foundation for sustainable growth on the continent.

Tuggar made the call on Thursday in Abuja while delivering the keynote address at the Policy Innovation Centre’s High-Level Plenary of the 2025 Gender Inclusion Summit, themed “From Aid to Investment – Leveraging Economic Diplomacy for Africa’s Inclusive Development.”

The minister emphasised that Africa stands “at the cusp of transformation” with a population projected to hit 2.5 billion by 2050 and a combined nominal GDP of $2.8 trillion. 

Nigeria, he noted, with a GDP of about $243 billion, occupies a strategic position in shaping the continent’s development trajectory.

Despite these opportunities, Tuggar highlighted persistent obstacles, including Africa’s low intra-continental trade at just 18 percent compared to Asia’s 59 percent and Europe’s 69 percent. 

He also pointed to gender disparities, noting that women make up 70 percent of the informal economy yet remain largely excluded from formal trade.

According to UNESCO’s 2024 report, 7.6 million Nigerian girls are still out of school, with the Northwest and Northeast accounting for nearly half of that number. Women also hold just 27.3 percent of parliamentary seats across Africa and only 4.2 percent in Nigeria’s National Assembly.

“These statistics not only highlight the gender disparities in critical sectors but remind us of a simple truth: growth without inclusivity is fragile, and prosperity without equity is unsustainable,” Tuggar warned.

He cited a Council on Foreign Relations report forecasting a potential 23 percent surge in Nigeria’s GDP—equivalent to $229 billion—if women were allowed equal participation in the economy.

Nigeria’s diplomatic recalibration

The minister said Nigeria had responded to these challenges with a recalibrated foreign policy anchored on President Bola Tinubu’s 4-D Diplomacy Agenda—Development, Demography, Diaspora, and Democracy—each pillar designed to prioritise women and youth inclusion.

One outcome of this approach, Tuggar explained, is the Regional Partnership for Democracy (RPD), aimed at strengthening democratic institutions and ensuring equitable participation of women and youth. 

He also highlighted Nigeria’s hosting of the West Africa Economic Summit in Abuja earlier this year, which resolved to dismantle barriers to women’s economic empowerment and mainstream gender-responsive policies.

Opportunities in trade and finance

Tuggar warned that initiatives like the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS), while significant, could leave women behind if barriers to finance, literacy, and market access persist.

He praised Nigerian financial institutions for driving cross-border trade and digital banking but stressed the need to accelerate female leadership in the sector. 

Domestically, he cited the Central Bank’s 2012 Sustainable Banking Principles, the National Gender Policy (2021–2026), the Women’s Economic Empowerment Policy (2023–2028), and INEC’s Gender Policy (2021–2025) as examples of frameworks pushing for inclusion.

On youth inclusion, the minister pointed to Nigeria’s Technical Aid Corps (TAC), which deploys professionals abroad, the Nigeria Youth Investment Fund (NYIF), the new Student Loan Act, and the Three Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme, which equips young Nigerians with advanced digital skills.

Tuggar concluded by urging stakeholders to move beyond dialogue to concrete commitments. He outlined three priorities: boosting women’s political representation, supporting the development of the Gender and Inclusion Framework for Economic Diplomacy (GIF-ED) and the Purple Book of Action Plans 2025, and ensuring equity and inclusion in all future policies and partnerships.

“Equity is not optional. Inclusion is not charity. They are the foundations of a prosperous, stable, and sustainable Africa,” he declared.