Nigeria and Israel have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation in key sectors including security and defence, agriculture, technology, health, innovation and trade, during the farewell visit of outgoing Israeli Ambassador Michael Freeman to Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, in Abuja.
According to a statement issued by the Nigerian Foreign Ministry, Ambassador Freeman said Israel was ready to expand collaboration in innovation, education, agriculture, health and security, adding that the current annual trade volume of about US$200 million remained well below the potential of both countries.
He also stressed the importance of sustained dialogue to unlock greater economic and strategic opportunities. Minister Odumegwu-Ojukwu commended the outgoing ambassador for strengthening bilateral relations during his tenure and reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to deeper cooperation in counter-terrorism, intelligence sharing, security financing and capacity building for security agencies.
She also called for stronger partnerships between Nigerian startups and Israeli technology firms, saying the combination of Nigerian ingenuity and Israeli innovation could drive significant progress.
The minister added that Nigeria is keen to leverage Israeli expertise to improve water management and boost agricultural productivity, while emphasizing that security remains central to the country’s development agenda.
