Nigeria-ASEAN Cooperation: Expanding beyond traditional exchanges to broader trade, investment horizons

BY SARAFINA CHRISTOPHER

Nigeria’s diplomatic engagement with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) reached new heights in 2025, marking a shift from conventional political exchanges to a more expansive and coordinated partnership.

This evolving collaboration now spans trade, education, culture, development co-operation, and tourism diplomacy.

Throughout the year, engagements were predominantly driven by the six ASEAN countries with diplomatic missions in Abuja and Lagos – Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, and Vietnam.

These nations operated within a collective framework, echoing ASEAN’s regional integration model, to foster deeper ties with Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy.

ASEAN – comprising 10 Southeast Asian countries and a combined population of over 600 million – has long been regarded as one of the world’s most dynamic regions in terms of both economic growth and tourism. Nigeria, in turn, remains a key strategic partner for ASEAN, especially in West Africa.

Cultural diplomacy became a corner- stone of Nigeria’s ASEAN engagement in 2025, notably through the “Essence of ASEAN” festival held in Abuja.

Organised by the High Commission of Malaysia in collaboration with the Embassies of the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam, the event showcased ASEAN’s rich cultural diversity through music, dance, fashion, and cuisine.

It also served as a platform for diplomatic dialogue and public engagement.

Mr Aiyub Omar, Malaysia’s High Commissioner to Nigeria, and chair of the ASEAN Committee in Abuja, remarked that the festival aimed to strengthen mutual understanding and collaboration.

He highlighted that 2025 marked 60 years of diplomatic relations between Malaysia and Nigeria, underscoring the longstanding ties between the two nations.

People-to-people exchanges remained strong in 2025, with over 300 Nigerians applying for travel to Malaysia each month.

Additionally, Malaysia hosted more than 3,000 Nigerian students in its public and private universities. Trade relations between Nigeria and ASEAN countries flourished in 2025.

According to Mr Bui Quoc Hung, Vietnam’s Ambassador to Nigeria, bilateral trade between Nigeria and Vietnam surged to around one billion dollars in 2024, a substantial increase from previous years when the trade value ranged between 500 million dollars and 600 million dollars.

This surge was driven by Vietnamese ex- ports of electronics, garments, and textiles, alongside Nigeria’s supply of agricultural raw materials such as cashew nuts.

Malaysia’s trade with Nigeria also remained robust. Palm oil, which accounts for around 50 per cent of Malaysia’s exports to Nigeria, was valued at approximately 600 million dollars in 2024, according to Malaysian officials.

These growing trade figures highlight the strengthening economic interdependence between Nigeria and ASEAN.

Development cooperation was a key area of engagement in 2025, particularly with Thailand.

Ms Sasirit Tangulrat, Director-General of Thailand’s Department of South Asian, Middle East, and African Affairs, led a high-level delegation to Nigeria that included officials from the Thailand International Co-operation Agency (TICA), the Ministry of Defence, and representatives from the Thai private sector.

Accompanied by Thailand’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Thirapath Mongkolnavin, the delegation held talks with Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Nigerian Technical Aid Corps, and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

The discussions focused on expanding cooperation in agriculture, public health, trade, investment, and cultural exchange, with both sides agreeing to convene the first Thailand-Nigeria Political Consultations in 2026.

Additionally, engagements with ECOWAS explored areas like development cooperation, food security, and agricultural technology, as well as proposals for a Memorandum of Understanding and ECOWAS participation in the Second Thailand-Africa Development Forum scheduled for September 2025.

Tourism emerged as a growing pillar of Nigeria’s engagement with ASEAN in 2025, in line with the country’s broader efforts to diversify its economy and strengthen global connectivity.

The Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria (FTAN) initiated discussions with ASEAN diplomatic missions in Nigeria to explore formal tourism partnerships, beginning with a courtesy visit to the Philippines Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Mersole Mellejor, who also chaired the ASEAN Group of Missions in Abuja.

ASEAN is renowned for its strong tourism sector, having attracted over 130 million international visitors annually before the COVID-19 pandemic, with Thailand alone receiving close to 40 million tourists in peak years.