The Diplomat
The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, received yesterday at La Moncloa the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, whose country is one of the main “and most reliable” suppliers of gas and oil to Spain and with whom he agreed on the need to “reinforce the energy supply” in the “current war context” between Russia and Ukraine.
Muhammadu Buhari’s working visit, the first by a Nigerian leader to Spain in the last 17 years, began with a meeting with King Philip VI, who offered him lunch at the Zarzuela Palace. The African leader traveled to Madrid accompanied by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Justice, Industry, Trade and Investment, Information and Culture, Interior and Youth Development and Sport, as well as by the Secretary of State for Health.
Subsequently, the Nigerian President – re-elected in 2019 for a second four-year term – was received at La Moncloa Palace by Pedro Sánchez, with whom he adopted a Joint Declaration in which both countries deplored “the aggression perpetrated by Russia against Ukraine” and expressed their “deep concern” for the serious humanitarian crisis resulting from the war, as well as for the consequences for food security in many regions of the world, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.
Separately, the two governments signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to “promote, support and facilitate” cooperation in the areas of agriculture and agricultural technologies, renewable energy, environmental and clean technologies, industry 4.0, sustainable tourism, digital economy and innovation. Three agreements were also signed on judicial cooperation in extradition, mutual legal assistance in criminal matters and transfer of sentenced persons, and two MOUs were adopted on health cooperation, boosting science, increasing cooperation and the presence of the Spanish language in educational centers in Nigeria, promotion of new tourist routes and exchange of experiences and knowledge in the field of sports.
The two leaders also discussed migration and security cooperation (Nigeria is listed as an “anchor country” in the 3rd Africa Plan of the Spanish Government due to its relevance in the fight against terrorism in the Sahel, migrant trafficking networks or maritime piracy in the Gulf of Guinea) and President Buhari thanked Spain for its “important contribution” to Nigeria in the fight against COVID-19, with more than 4.4 million doses of vaccines – the largest donation made so far by Spain to an African country – through the COVAX mechanism. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, attended the King’s meeting with Buhari and held a working lunch at the Viana Palace with his Nigerian counterpart, Geoffrey Jideofor Onyeama.
Energy
In any case, one of the most relevant issues of the Nigerian president’s working visit to Spain was energy. During their bilateral meeting, Sánchez and Buhari confirmed their willingness to “reinforce energy supply, at a time of special international pressure on energy markets due to the current war context”, and in the Joint Declaration, Spain recognizes Nigeria as one of its main “and most reliable” energy suppliers -gas and oil-. Spain is Nigeria’s second largest customer in this area. Pedro Sánchez also conveyed to President Buhari “the interest of Spanish companies” in the sector in “continuing their commitment to Nigeria in order to seek agreements that ensure a stable supply on a lasting basis”.
Precisely, the working visit of the Nigerian President to Spain included his participation, as a special guest, in an Investment Forum jointly organized by the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism and the Confederation of Entrepreneurs (CEOE), which addressed investment opportunities in Nigeria and ways to expand the volume of trade.
