Türkiye is targeting a $5 billion trade volume with Nigeria, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday during talks with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Ankara, signalling a renewed push to deepen economic ties between both countries.
The commitment was announced at a joint press briefing as part of Tinubu’s ongoing state visit to Türkiye, according to a statement by Nigeria’s presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga.
Erdogan said both leaders reviewed bilateral relations across key sectors and agreed to scale up cooperation in trade, investment, energy, education and defence.
“To achieve our $5 billion trade volume target, we discussed the necessary steps today,” Erdogan said, adding that a Joint Economy and Trade Committee would be established to fast-track investments and commercial collaboration.
The Turkish president said Türkiye was encouraged by Nigeria’s ongoing economic reforms and the political will demonstrated by Tinubu’s delegation. He singled out Nigeria’s energy-sector reforms as critical to long-term growth and expressed optimism about cooperation between the Turkish Petroleum Corporation and Nigerian partners.
Erdogan also pledged Türkiye’s support for Nigeria’s security efforts, particularly in the Sahel region, noting that Ankara was willing to share its experience in military training, intelligence cooperation and defence manufacturing.
President Tinubu welcomed Türkiye’s openness to deeper engagement and stressed the importance of partnerships that promote inclusive economic growth.
“How do we build an inclusive economy together and ensure vulnerable people are part of economic growth?” Tinubu asked, while also highlighting discussions on counter-terrorism and regional stability.
Tinubu praised Erdogan’s international role, citing Türkiye’s involvement in Somalia as an example of constructive global leadership.
Both countries exchanged nine cooperation agreements, covering areas such as diaspora relations, diplomatic training, education, defence, infrastructure, social inclusion and social services.
In May 2025, Türkiye disclosed that Turkish companies had invested about $272 million across several Nigerian states, underlining Ankara’s growing commercial footprint in Africa’s largest economy.
