President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of the Republic of Türkiye has announced that his country is targeting a trade volume of $5 billion with Nigeria, signalling a significant expansion of economic relations between the two nations. He disclosed this on Tuesday in Ankara during a joint press briefing with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is on a State Visit to Türkiye.
President Erdogan said discussions aimed at achieving the ambitious trade target had already commenced, noting that both countries possess strong complementarities that could drive growth in bilateral trade, investment and strategic cooperation.
At present, trade between Nigeria and Türkiye stands at about $2 billion. Türkiye currently exports aircraft including planes and helicopters, machinery, iron and steel products, as well as chemicals to Nigeria. In return, Nigeria exports crude oil and a range of agricultural products to Türkiye.
According to President Erdogan, the planned establishment of a Joint Economy and Trade Committee will be a critical institutional mechanism for unlocking new opportunities and accelerating Turkish investments in Nigeria.
He praised President Tinubu’s economic reform agenda and described the composition of the Nigerian delegation, which included several ministers and top government officials, as clear evidence of Nigeria’s political will to deepen cooperation with Türkiye.
“Today, we conducted a comprehensive review of our relations with the esteemed President and his delegation in the fields of trade, investments, energy, education and defence industry,” President Erdogan said.
“Firstly, we see that we have significant potential in the fields of trade and investment. In today’s meetings, our commitment is to the $5 billion trade volume target, and we discussed the steps needed to achieve this goal.
“We also discussed opportunities to support our investments in Nigeria. We believe that the Joint Economy and Trade Committee, which we agreed to establish today, will be instrumental in this regard,” he added.
President Erdogan also commended the Nigerian President for reforms in the energy sector, which he said were already contributing to the restructuring of Nigeria’s economy. He expressed optimism that cooperation between the Turkish Petroleum Corporation, Nigerian counterparts and relevant institutions would deliver tangible outcomes.
“We closely follow Nigeria’s steps in the energy sector and the restructuring of its economy. We hope that cooperation between our national energy institutions and Nigerian organisations will yield the expected results,” Erdogan said.
On security, the Turkish President pledged his country’s support to Nigeria in tackling insurgency and terrorism, drawing from Türkiye’s own experience in confronting similar threats.
He warned that terrorist groups, particularly those operating across Africa’s Sahel region, pose a serious threat to peace and stability on the continent and beyond.
“Terrorist organisations emerging, particularly in Africa’s Sahel region, unfortunately pose a threat to the peace of the entire continent. We stand by the friendly people of Nigeria in their fight against terrorism under the leadership of President Tinubu,” Erdogan stated.
He disclosed that both leaders discussed closer cooperation in military training and intelligence sharing, adding that Türkiye was ready to share its extensive experience in counterterrorism.
“In fact, today, we addressed opportunities for closer cooperation in the fields of military training and intelligence. We stated that we are ready to share our country’s significant experience in combating terrorism,” he said.
President Erdogan also expressed confidence that meetings between Nigerian officials and leading Turkish defence industry companies during the visit would soon translate into concrete outcomes.
In his remarks, President Tinubu expressed appreciation to the Republic of Türkiye for its openness and willingness to collaborate with Nigeria in promoting global freedom, stability and shared prosperity.
He underscored the importance of building an inclusive economy that creates opportunities for all, particularly vulnerable groups, while removing barriers to trade, investment and skills development.
President Tinubu commended President Erdogan’s collaborative spirit, describing him as “willing to collaborate, willing to help, willing to work together to promote freedom, stability and prosperity across the world.”
“What is very important to the countries being discussed is trade and business without restrictions, giving opportunity to those who are ready to learn, work and prosper,” Tinubu said.
He posed a series of questions highlighting Nigeria’s development priorities: “How do we build an inclusive economy together? How do we reform the economy and involve vulnerable people? How do we ensure peace in the world?”
President Tinubu reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to promoting peace and stability in Africa, despite ongoing security challenges in parts of the country.
“We discussed efforts against terrorism. We discussed how to defeat agents of destabilisation,” he said, noting that Nigeria would continue to play a leading role in regional and continental peace initiatives.
The Nigerian President also praised President Erdogan for his commitment to global peace, with particular reference to Türkiye’s role and engagement in Somalia.
At the conclusion of the bilateral meeting, officials from both countries signed nine agreements aimed at strengthening cooperation across multiple sectors.
The agreements include an Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Diaspora Policy; an Agreement on Defence Cooperation; a Joint Declaration Establishing the Economy and Trade Joint Committee; and an Agreement in the Field of Halal Quality Infrastructure.
Others signed are agreements on Cooperation in the Field of Higher Education; Cooperation in the Field of Media and Communication; Cooperation in the Field of Education; Cooperation between the Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Foreign Affairs Diplomacy Academy and the Federal Republic of Nigeria Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Affairs Academy; and Cooperation between the Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Social Services and the Federal Republic of Nigeria Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development.
The agreements are expected to deepen institutional collaboration, expand people-to-people ties and create a stronger framework for sustainable economic, social and security partnerships between the two nations.
The State Visit marks a significant milestone in Nigeria–Türkiye relations and reflects the shared determination of both leaders to elevate bilateral ties to a higher strategic level, with trade, investment, security and human development at the core of the partnership.
Bayo Onanuga
Special Adviser to the President
(Information and Strategy)
January 27, 2026
