By Gloria Ikibah
Nigeria and Thailand have agreed to strengthen their longstanding diplomatic ties and expand cooperation in trade, agriculture, investment, technology, security and other areas of mutual interest.
The commitment was made at the inaugural Nigeria-Thailand Bilateral Consultations Meeting held in Abuja. 
The meeting brought together senior officials from the foreign ministries of both countries and provided an opportunity to review bilateral relations, discuss regional and global developments and identify practical areas for closer cooperation.
The Nigerian delegation was led by Ambassador Grema Garba, Director, Regions Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while the Thai delegation was led by Mrs Sirilak Nyom, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The consultations also marked an important step in implementing the Memorandum of Understanding on the Establishment of Bilateral Consultations, signed during the visit of Thailand’s then Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister to Nigeria in 2023.
Nigeria and Thailand established diplomatic relations in 1962 and, at the meeting, both sides reaffirmed the cordial and mutually beneficial nature of their relationship.
Nigeria highlighted opportunities for increased cooperation in trade and investment, agriculture and food security, energy, manufacturing, tourism, healthcare, technology and technical cooperation.
Both countries also acknowledged their strategic positions as gateways to their respective regions, with Nigeria offering access to the African market and Thailand providing a gateway to Southeast Asia and the wider Asian market.
Agriculture emerged as one of the key areas of interest, with Nigeria expressing interest in Thailand’s experience in rice production, cassava processing, aquaculture, agricultural machinery and food processing.
The two sides also explored opportunities for increased Thai investment in Nigeria’s agricultural value chains.
Other sectors identified for greater economic cooperation included agro-processing, oil and gas, renewable energy, manufacturing, mining, healthcare, tourism, ICT and infrastructure.
The consultations further considered the possible operationalisation of the Joint Trade Committee and measures to encourage greater private-sector participation and make trade and investment between both countries easier.
Visa and consular matters also featured prominently during the meeting, with Nigeria raising concerns about visa procedures affecting Nigerian businesspeople, investors, students and tourists travelling to Thailand.
Nigeria called for greater transparency, efficiency and predictability in the visa application process.
The two countries also discussed migration management, human trafficking, migrant smuggling, protection of nationals, repatriation and prisoner-transfer arrangements.
On security, Nigeria and Thailand agreed on the need to strengthen cooperation against drug trafficking, human trafficking, cybercrime, online scams and other forms of transnational organised crime.
Thailand highlighted its existing cooperation with Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency and the proposed Memorandum of Understanding on narcotic drug control and suppression.
It also introduced the SHIELD database as a tool for sharing information on scams and human trafficking, while expressing readiness to strengthen cooperation in intelligence sharing, digital forensics, law-enforcement coordination and capacity building.
The two countries equally welcomed opportunities for expanded technical cooperation through the Thailand International Cooperation Agency (TICA), including training, scholarships and institutional partnerships.
The areas identified for such cooperation include agriculture, food innovation, climate resilience, renewable energy and digital technology.
On international affairs, Nigeria and Thailand reaffirmed their commitment to multilateralism, international peace and security, regional integration and a rules-based international order.
Both countries supported comprehensive reform of the United Nations Security Council to ensure more equitable representation for Africa and stronger participation of developing countries in global decision-making.
Nigeria also welcomed Thailand’s Thailand-Africa Initiative and expressed its readiness to support stronger Thai engagement with the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
The two sides exchanged views on regional developments, including insecurity in West Africa and the Sahel, stressing the importance of dialogue, confidence-building and coordinated responses to emerging security challenges.
They further agreed to continue consultations on cooperation within multilateral organisations and mutual support for candidates seeking positions in international institutions.
At the end of the meeting, both sides expressed satisfaction with the outcome and pledged to turn the discussions into concrete programmes and deliverables.
Thailand also indicated its readiness to host the second round of the Nigeria-Thailand Bilateral Consultations in Bangkok on a mutually agreed date and expressed interest in advancing outstanding bilateral agreements.
Nigeria, in turn, reaffirmed its commitment to working closely with Thailand to deepen their longstanding friendship and expand cooperation across economic, agricultural, technological, security, consular, developmental and multilateral areas.
