- During bilateral talks with Saint Lucia, Nigeria proposed partnerships in agriculture, tourism, renewable energy, ICT, and education.
- The initiative includes deploying Nigerian professionals, joint capacity-building, climate cooperation, and formalising diplomatic relations to deepen Africa-Caribbean collaboration.
Nigeria plans to strengthen trade and investment relations with Saint Lucia. The focus areas include agriculture, tourism, manufacturing, renewable energy, and information and communications technology (ICT).
Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, shared this intention during a bilateral meeting with Saint Lucia’s Minister for External Affairs, Alva Romanus Baptiste.
The meeting aimed to open new channels for cooperation and mutual engagement. Tuggar’s media aide, Alkasim Abdulkadir, confirmed this in a statement released on Monday, June 30.
Ambassador Tuggar proposed a structured partnership between Nigeria’s Technical Aid Corps (NTAC) and Saint Lucia’s Political and Economic Cooperation Development Division to support practical collaboration.
This proposal includes sending Nigerian professionals to support health, education, agriculture, and technical services in Saint Lucia. It also promotes the exchange of best practices in governance, youth empowerment, and institutional development. Both countries could design joint capacity-building programmes that set a model for Africa-Caribbean partnerships.
In addition, Ambassador Tuggar urged both nations to explore education diplomacy. He suggested scholarships, academic exchanges, and joint research to build stronger people-to-people ties.
He also highlighted shared climate challenges. Tuggar stressed the need for joint action on climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction, and climate finance. He reaffirmed Nigeria’s support for Saint Lucia as a Small Island Developing State (SIDS).
Furthermore, he pledged Nigeria’s commitment to raising the concerns of Saint Lucia and other SIDS on global platforms such as the United Nations, the Commonwealth, and the African Union–CARICOM initiatives.
Ambassador Tuggar welcomed the plan to formalise diplomatic relations between the two countries. Nigeria’s High Commission in Port of Spain currently provides interim diplomatic and consular services to Saint Lucia.
Finally, he noted that formal diplomatic ties would strengthen cooperation across the Caribbean, especially within the OECS and CARICOM frameworks.