By Faith Anisiobi, The Sight News
Nigeria and Israel have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral relations through expanded cooperation in security, defence, agriculture, technology, healthcare and trade.
The renewed commitment was made during the valedictory visit of the outgoing Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria, Michael Freeman, to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, in Abuja.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu commended the ambassador for his role in deepening relations between both countries during his tenure and reaffirmed Nigeria’s readiness to broaden collaboration in critical areas, including counter-terrorism, intelligence sharing, border security, security financing and capacity building.
The minister also highlighted the need to strengthen partnerships between Nigerian startups and Israeli technology firms, while calling for greater collaboration in water management and agricultural innovation to boost productivity.
Speaking during the visit, Freeman described Nigeria as an “amazing country” with warm and welcoming people, stressing that sustained engagement would be key to unlocking the full potential of the longstanding relationship between both nations.
He reiterated Israel’s commitment to supporting Nigeria in innovation, agriculture, healthcare, education, skills development and security, expressing confidence that bilateral trade, currently estimated at about 200 million dollars annually, would continue to grow in the years ahead.
