Abuja: The government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan has called for deeper diplomatic and economic ties with the Nigerian government to foster development for both countries. Mr Rana Ihsaan, the Coordinator to the Prime Minister of Pakistan, made the call in an interview during his working visit to Nigeria on Wednesday.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the visiting coordinator held a closed-door meeting with Yusuf Tuggar, the Minister of Foreign Affairs. After the meeting, he said that both sides had agreed on deepening relations in the areas of trade and commerce, among others. Ihsaan emphasized the necessity for both countries to accelerate efforts towards a Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA), noting that Pakistan had already submitted a draft BTA and was awaiting Nigeria’s response.
Discussions with the Nigerian counterparts focused on easing visa processes, expanding educational exchanges, and strengthening cooperation in sectors such as minerals, youth training, and defence. Ihsaan highlighted that Pakistan had already implemented visa-on-arrival for Nigerians at no cost and urged Nigeria to reciprocate to enhance people-to-people ties. He underscored the importance of high-level engagements between both nations, pointing out the similarities between Nigeria and Pakistan, such as large populations, youthful demographics, and vast economic potentials.
He stated that deeper collaboration would unlock opportunities in trade, education, and investment, while further solidifying the long-standing diplomatic relations. Aside from his meetings with the foreign minister and other top government officials, Ihsaan was also in Nigeria to attend the ongoing West Africa Beauty Exhibition in Lagos. He described the exhibition as one of the continent’s largest cosmetic fairs, leading a delegation of 19 Pakistani businesspeople exploring Nigeria’s estimated $10 million beauty and cosmetics market.
Ihsaan mentioned that Nigeria serves as a gateway to Africa and that Pakistani products, such as cosmetics, textiles, pharmaceuticals, food items, and sports goods, are already gaining traction in the country. He encouraged Pakistani exhibitors to establish offices, warehouses, and logistics partnerships to strengthen their presence in the Nigerian market. Addressing concerns from Nigerian businesses about the ease of doing business in Pakistan, Ihsaan noted that the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan had been supporting Nigerian participants at major exhibitions to achieve this goal.