By Mercy Peter
Nigeria and Kenya have expressed commitment to improve bilateral relations.
This was disclosed following a high-level meeting between the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, and the Kenyan High Commissioner to Nigeria, Ambassador Isaac Keen Parashina, in Abuja.
The meeting, held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday, underscored both countries’ commitment to revitalising bilateral cooperation and advancing structured engagement under existing diplomatic frameworks.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu in her remarks reaffirmed Nigeria’s appreciation for its longstanding cordial relations with Kenya.
She highlighted the need to reactivate the Nigeria–Kenya Joint Commission for Cooperation (JCC), which has not convened in over a decade.
The Minister stressed that regular review platforms are essential to ensuring that Memoranda of Understanding translate into measurable outcomes.
She also identified priority sectors including trade facilitation, fintech innovation, digital agriculture, livestock development, tourism, migration management and anti-human trafficking collaboration.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu noted that as two of Africa’s largest and most dynamic economies, Nigeria and Kenya carry a shared responsibility to deepen intra-African trade within the framework of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
She further raised concerns over irregular migration, trafficking networks and cybercrime, emphasising the importance of preventive collaboration, including possible cooperation between Nigeria’s National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and relevant Kenyan institutions.
The High Commissioner Parashina conveyed the goodwill of the Kenyan government and expressed Nairobi’s readiness to operationalise visa reciprocity arrangements and address outstanding trade and mobility issues through the reactivated JCC framework.
He briefed the Minister on Kenya’s upcoming Africa–France Summit in Nairobi, describing it as a continental development platform, and invited Nigeria’s active participation, particularly from the private sector.
Both sides also exchanged views on multilateral cooperation and United Nations reform, reiterating mutual support for African representation in global governance.
