Bilateral Cooperation between Ethiopia and Nigeria
Ethiopia and Nigeria have opened their Embassies in their respective Capitals in the 1960’s. Several official visits have since taken place by the two countries’ leaders. The late Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. Meles Zenawi visited Nigeria in 1996 while the former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, H.E. Olesgun Obasanjo paid an official visit to Ethiopia in 2006. Also, the Former President of Nigeria H.E Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonatan visited Ethiopia in 2011. Former Prime Minister, H.E Hailemariam Dessalegn visited Nigeria in 2014. The Premier also attended the official inauguration ceremony of H.E. Muhammadu Buhari as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 2015. The Official visit of H.E. Muhammadu Buhari to Ethiopia in February 2020, was reciprocated by the Official visit of H.E. Dr. Abiy Ahmed, Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia in November, 2022.
The two Countries have Bilateral Air Service Agreement which was signed in 1977 and amended in 1992, in 2005 and recently in 2024. As a result, Nigeria has become one of the biggest markets for the Ethiopian Airlines (EAL) in Africa. The EAL has four destinations in Nigeria with daily flights to Abuja, Kano and Legos and with four flights per week to Enugu. Bilateral trade agreement was signed in 1978 and was renewed in 2006 and it is currently in process of being revised to align with the requirements of the Continental African Free Trade Agreement. The two countries also signed Cultural, Scientific, Educational Cooperation agreement in 1989 while the agreement for Control of Illegal Drug Trafficking was signed in 1996. An agreement in the field of Culture and Tourism, General Cooperation Agreement, Agreement on the establishment of Joint Ministerial Commission, MOUs in the field of Agriculture and on Diplomatic Training were also signed between the two countries.
Nigeria and Ethiopia also signed an agreement in the field of academic exchange in June 2000 to provide teachers for various universities and high schools in Ethiopia. Since then, Ethiopia has been a leading beneficiary of Nigeria’s Technical Aid Corps Teachers, an excellent example of the South-South cooperation.
In February 2020, at the invitation of H.E. Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed, H.E President Muhammadu Buhari paid a State Visit to Ethiopia. During the visit, Nigeria and Ethiopia signed an agreement in Addis Ababa to waive visas for holders of both countries’ diplomatic and official passports with a view to ease travels by officials of the two countries and to foster bilateral relations. The visa waiver agreement is expected to ease travels by officials and contribute to further strengthening of bilateral relations. The two countries also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Cooperation in the field of Defense.
The two countries have held three Joint Ministerial Commission Meetings (the first was held in Addis Ababa in 2006 and the Second and third took place in Abuja in 2017 and in Addis Ababa in 2022, respectively). The Fourth Joint Ministerial Commission is expected to be held in Abuja in the near future.
Currently, Nigeria and Ethiopia are both working on several areas of bilateral cooperation, particularly in Defense, Aviation, Science and Technology, Industry, Trade and Investment, Agriculture, Health, Youth and Sports development, Communication, Information and media. Furthermore, the two Countries are working in close cooperation at continental and global levels in many areas of mutual interest.
It is hoped that the bilateral cooperation between the two brotherly countries is expected to grow from strength to strength in the years ahead, given the immense untapped potential that exists in each of the two countries to elevate the said cooperation to a new height.
