By Faith Anisiobi, The Sight News
Nigeria and Senegal have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral relations, with both countries pledging closer diplomatic engagement, enhanced trade cooperation and the revival of their Joint Commission.
The commitment was made during a bilateral meeting between Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, and Senegal’s Foreign Minister, Cheikh Niang, on the sidelines of the ongoing ECOWAS Mid-Year Summit in Freetown, Sierra Leone, on Friday.
During the meeting, Ambassador Enikanolaiye praised the longstanding cordial relations between Nigeria and Senegal, describing them as a solid foundation for deeper cooperation. He stressed the need for closer communication between the foreign ministers, free from bureaucratic bottlenecks, to facilitate consultations on bilateral and multilateral issues.
The minister also called for the reactivation of the Nigeria-Senegal Joint Commission, saying it would provide a platform to expand cooperation in areas of mutual interest. He further urged both countries to boost trade and commercial relations, noting that their strong political ties should translate into tangible economic benefits for their citizens.
In his response, Senegal’s Foreign Minister, Cheikh Niang, congratulated Ambassador Enikanolaiye on his appointment and commended his initiative in seeking closer collaboration between the two countries.
Niang also praised the Nigerian minister’s contributions during the ECOWAS Council of Ministers’ meeting, describing his interventions as knowledge-based and driven by expertise. He expressed confidence that closer engagement between Nigeria and Senegal would strengthen cooperation and consultation on regional and bilateral issues.
The meeting formed part of diplomatic engagements at the ECOWAS Mid-Year Summit aimed at enhancing regional integration and cooperation among member states.
