Aiyub bin Omar, Malaysia’s High Commissioner to Nigeria, shared how Malaysia wants to have a stronger friendship with Nigeria. This includes working together on trade and education as they get closer to 60 years of partnership by 2025.
Omar talked about this during a special event in Abuja, celebrating Nigeria’s 67th Independence Day and Malaysia’s 61st National Day. He said that by July 2023, the trade between Nigeria and Malaysia was worth $747 million.
“Our countries focus on trade, education, and helping each other. Nigeria is Malaysia’s 37th biggest trading partner in the world. Our trade was worth $956 million in 2023. By July, it reached $747 million,” Omar said.
He also mentioned that Nigeria is Malaysia’s 4th largest trading partner in Africa, after South Africa, Kenya, and Côte d’Ivoire.
ICT Partnership
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, represented by Amb. Mistura Abdulraheem from the Asia-Pacific Division, praised Malaysian people for their unity and progress.
Tuggar explained how both countries work together, especially in sharing technology, teaching skills, and creating innovative ideas.
“This teamwork in technology shows how we can solve 21st century problems together. By using Malaysia’s skills in ICT, digital ideas, and oil markets, we create opportunities for our people,” he said.
He added that Nigeria and Malaysia have a long friendship based on respect and common goals.
“For many years, our countries have cooperated in trade, education, and technology,” he said.
Omar added that since 1981, 569 Nigerian government workers have learned new skills from the Malaysian Technical Cooperation Programme (MTCP). These skills include trade, the economy, construction, and cybersecurity.
He also mentioned that many Nigerian students choose Malaysia for higher education. About 3,386 Nigerian students are studying in Malaysian schools.
What You Should Know
The National Palm Produce Association of Nigeria (NPPAN) announced that the Nigerian government will sign an important agreement with Malaysia. This will help Nigeria develop its palm biomass industry.
The plan is to turn palm waste into valuable resources by learning from Malaysia’s success with palm biomass.
Amb. Alphosus Inyang, President of NPPAN, pointed out that this could add $10 billion to Nigeria’s economy in four years and create over five million jobs in five years.