"Indian companies are second largest employers after the Nigerian govt": Indian High Commissioner to Nigera

While speaking to ANI, he said that PM Modi's visit to Nigeria is a significant milestone, marking his first trip to West Africa. As the most populous country and one of the largest economies in the continent, Nigeria is a crucial partner for India.

Notably, over 200 Indian companies have invested over USD 27 billion in Nigeria, making them the second-largest employers after the Nigerian government.

"The relationship between India and Nigeria has been historical. We had started our diplomatic presence in Nigeria two years before their independence by starting a diplomatic office in 1958 in Lagos. The political relationship, both bilateral and at the multilateral level, has been quite strong. The trade and economic relations have also been quite good over here. More than 200 Indian companies have invested more than 27 billion dollars in the Nigerian economy and they are the second largest employers after the Nigerian government...," said Balasubramanian.

PM Modi's visit to Nigeria assumes a lot of importance because this is a follow-up visit after Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and PM Modi's meeting in G-20 in 2023 which aims to strengthen the strategic partnership between the two nations, built on shared democratic values and pluralism.

"This visit assumes a lot of significance. For our Prime Minister, this is the first visit to West Africa and he's starting his visit through Nigeria, which is the most populous country and one of the largest GDPs in the continent. When India had assumed the Presidency of G-20 last year, a Prime Minister Modi had invited Nigeria as a guest country. That was the first opportunity for President Tinubu and Nigeria to be present on the platform of G-20, for which they are very thankful to the Indian Prime Minister. During that visit, Thinubu and Prime Minister Modi had extensive discussions reviewing the bilateral relationship. This visit of our Prime Minister would be a follow-up visit and would certainly consolidate the relationship between the two countries," he said.

Talking about the schedule of PM Modi, the Indian envoy said that upon arrival in Nigeria, he'll receive a ceremonial welcome, followed by a one-on-one meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

"PM Modi arrives in Abuja tonight and tomorrow morning he starts his official engagements. His first engagement would be through a ceremonial reception by the guards at the presidential villa followed by a 21-gun salute. After that he would be having a one-to-one with President Thinbu which would be followed by a group of delegation level talks and then exchange of MoUs and then an official banquet. After that he is meeting the community, which is a very strong community in Nigeria and after the completion of the community event, he would be leaving Nigeria for the next leg of his tour," he said.

Talking about the cultural relationship, the Indian envoy said, "The cultural relationship, connect is also very good. There have been regular exchanges of troops and people to people contact has been really strong. More than 5,000 Nigerians are studying in India. Many people go to India for their medical treatment. So overall, I would say that the relationship between our two countries has been based on very strong footing," he said.

Balasubramanian said that capacity building has been a strong point between the relations of both countries.

"Capacity building is another area where we have been cooperating extensively between the two countries and this visit, I'm sure will give a further boost to the already existing strong relationship between the two countries," he said.

Balasubramanian said that India and Nigeria have been working closely in the manufacturing sector, and have expanded by signing agreements on several more sectors, like customs cooperation, on cultural exchange program, on survey cooperation etc.

"We have traditionally been working on various areas in the manufacturing sector and in the service sector as far as state and economic relations second concerned. Yesterday we were able to sign some agreements on customs cooperation, on cultural exchange program, on survey cooperation etc. We are also looking at the possibility of expanding this relationship into new areas on technology-based solutions. Fintech, agriculture, mining, space, etc. And this relationship has been going on strong because of the commitment by both the leadership and this visit will further help us in consolidating the relationship," he said. (ANI)