site.btaNigerian Ambassador to Bulgaria Safiya Ahmad Nuhu Looks to Promote Good Relations Even Further

Bulgaria and Nigeria have maintained friendly relations for over 50 years and to date both have the political will to promote that even further, Safiya Ahmad Nuhu, the newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to Bulgaria based in Bucharest, said in an interview for BTA at her first official visit.

The idea is to see what more can be done to improve bilateral relations at different levels in the various ministries, Ambassador Nuhu said.

According to the Nigerian diplomat, the existing strong relations in education and culture, particularly in the 1970s and 1980s, when thousands of Nigerians studied at Bulgarian universities with grants and many Bulgarians worked in Nigeria at different levels, could serve as a solid basis for improving relations and boosting ties.

The Nigerian economy has enormous natural and human resources, but it is still a new market that has yet to show its full potential, Nuhu said, underscoring that it is open to investments and opportunities.

Key fields of cooperation between Sofia and Abuja include agriculture and particularly the defence industry; medicine and the pharmaceutical industry, as well as the IT sector are also among the many opportunities that have to be studied. The Ambassador remarked that she is aware many fintech companies in Bulgaria operate in Nigeria. 

Currently, economic relations between Bulgaria and Nigeria are mainly focused on agriculture and cooperation in that sector. In just 2021, imports from Bulgaria to the Nigerian market increased by 40 per cent, while those from Nigeria to Bulgaria – by 10 per cent. Although largely disproportionate, the increase is considerable, Ambassdor Nuhu pointed out.  

Speaking of the crises observed recently, particularly the war in Ukraine, the diplomat said they had clearly shown the challenges of food supply security. This opens many opportunities for bilateral cooperation, she stressed. 

Ambassador Safiya Ahmad Nuhu expressed satisfaction with the results achieved at her meetings with Bulgarian representatives  and is looking forward to the agreements that she hopes will be signed this year. Exchange of high level visits between the two foreign ministries is also expected, something that has not happened for decades, she added.