Nigeria reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening its longstanding bilateral relations with the Republic of Liberia through enhanced political consultations, trade, investment, youth development, and regional cooperation.
The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Sola Enikanolaiye, gave the assurance on Wednesday when he received in audience the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Liberia, Ambassador Ethel Davis, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tafawa Balewa House, Abuja.
Welcoming the Liberian delegation, Enikanolaiye described the relationship between Nigeria and Liberia as one founded on shared history, African solidarity, and mutual respect.
He recalled Nigeria’s significant contributions to the restoration of peace, security, and stability in Liberia and noted that the enduring friendship between both countries continues to be reflected in the close relationship between their respective leaders.
The minister stated that the meeting provided an opportunity to deepen bilateral consultations, identify new areas of cooperation, and further advance the welfare, prosperity, peace, and security of the peoples of both countries.
According to a statement by the spokesperson of the ministry, Kimiebi Ebienfa, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Liberia conveyed the appreciation of the government and people of Liberia to Nigeria for its unwavering support, particularly in the areas of peacebuilding, security sector reform, and post-conflict reconstruction.
She also acknowledged Nigeria’s continued assistance in the training of personnel of the Armed Forces of Liberia and commended the Federal Government for its support in capacity building.
Ambassador Davis expressed Liberia’s desire to deepen economic cooperation with Nigeria by encouraging greater participation of Nigerian investors and businesses in Liberia’s development efforts.
She also briefed Enikanolaiye on Liberia’s proposed Investment Summit in Lagos, expressing optimism that the initiative would strengthen commercial, trade, and investment relations between both countries.
The deputy minister further identified youth unemployment as a major development challenge and called for stronger collaboration with the Nigerian private sector to create employment opportunities for young people, stressing that private sector participation remains essential for inclusive economic growth.
Responding, Enikanolaiye reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to supporting greater private sector investment in Liberia as part of efforts to deepen economic integration and promote regional prosperity.
He described Nigeria’s youthful population as a strategic asset and highlighted the achievements of Nigerian youths in financial technology, the creative industry, and digital innovation as areas with significant potential for bilateral collaboration.
Enikanolaiye further advocated for increased cooperation in youth exchange programmes, entrepreneurship development, innovation, culture, and the creative economy to strengthen people-to-people relations between Nigeria and Liberia.
“He expressed confidence that the forthcoming Liberian Investment Summit in Lagos would provide an important platform for expanding business partnerships and exploring new investment opportunities.
“Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening Nigeria-Liberia relations through sustained political consultations, enhanced trade and investment, human capital development, and closer collaboration within ECOWAS and other regional and international organisations,” the statement added.
