The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) played host to the Consul-General of the United Arab Emirates in Nigeria, Salem Al-Jaberi, at its Marina headquarters in Lagos, signalling a renewed drive to strengthen trade relations between both nations.
The visit underscores the Federal Government’s determination to expand non-oil trade and reinforce strategic maritime partnerships with the UAE.
The engagement follows Nigeria’s recent participation in Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, where the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with AD Ports to explore collaboration in port development, maritime logistics and digital innovation.
Building on this momentum, the NPA’s Managing Director, Dr Abubakar Dantsoho, received the UAE envoy to advance discussions on practical areas of cooperation.
Dantsoho emphasised that NPA is acting on the directive of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy to deepen synergy with Abu Dhabi, particularly in expanding trade volumes beyond the oil sector.
He noted that the partnership presents fresh opportunities to modernise Nigeria’s port infrastructure and unlock greater economic exchange between both countries.
In response, Consul-General Al-Jaberi described Nigeria and Abu Dhabi as strategic partners and expressed readiness to significantly strengthen bilateral and trade relations in the coming days.
The meeting concluded with both sides reaffirming their commitment to exploring broad opportunities for growth in trade and maritime collaboration, marking another step towards a more dynamic economic partnership between Nigeria and the UAE.