Nigeria and Ethiopia have pledged to deepen bilateral cooperation in trade, investment, agriculture, economic development and security.

The commitment followed a bilateral meeting between Vice President Kashim Shettima and Ethiopia’s Deputy Prime Minister, Temesgen Tiruneh, on Wednesday in Addis Ababa, on the sidelines of the inaugural Nigeria-Ethiopia Nutrition Leadership Exchange Forum.

According to a statement from the Office of the Vice President, the meeting reviewed relations between both countries and explored opportunities to strengthen economic and strategic ties.

Tiruneh conveyed Ethiopia’s condolences to Nigeria over the recent military air crash in Ondo State and said Ethiopia places a high premium on its relationship with Nigeria, particularly as both countries are among Africa’s most populous nations.

He highlighted Ethiopia’s approach to tackling malnutrition as an economic and development priority, citing the 15-year Seqota Declaration launched in 2015, which began in communities most affected by malnutrition before expanding to about half of the country.

The Deputy Prime Minister also welcomed progress on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons Agreement between the two countries and called for the convening of the Nigeria-Ethiopia Joint Commission. He further commended growing private-sector cooperation, including investments by the Dangote Group in Ethiopia, and noted that Ethiopia has improved its diplomatic and service passport procedures for Nigerian nationals, including visa-free travel for holders of diplomatic and service passports.

Responding, Vice President Shettima reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to strengthening relations with Ethiopia, saying both countries should leverage their population, resources and strategic positions to contribute to Africa’s development.

He commended Ethiopia’s progress in agriculture and domestic value addition, while stressing the need to increase intra-African investment under the African Continental Free Trade Area, AfCFTA.

Shettima assured the Ethiopian delegation of Nigeria’s commitment to the Joint Commission framework and called for expanded cooperation in investment, agriculture, economic development and security.

“With global growth increasingly shifting towards Africa and the continent blessed with a young population, Nigeria and Ethiopia must provide the leadership required to unlock Africa’s enormous potential,” Shettima said.

The Vice President is leading a high-level delegation including Governors Dauda Lawal of Zamfara and Umar Namadi of Jigawa, Ministers of Agriculture, Budget and Economic Planning, Health and Education, as well as heads of NEMA and other agencies, to study Ethiopia’s multisectoral nutrition model.

The delegation is scheduled to visit wheat and banana farms in Oromia, the Bounty of the Basket Training Centre in Mojo, and industrial sites in Bishoftu as part of efforts to adapt Ethiopia’s experience to Nigeria’s Nutrition 774 initiative.