PM Modi holds talks with Nigerian President Tinubu boosting India-Nigeria ties

Abuja: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday held extensive talks with Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu focusing on boosting the India-Nigeria partnership in a range of areas, including trade, investment and digital public infrastructure.

Modi arrived in the Nigerian capital early Sunday on the first trip to the West African country by an Indian prime minister after a gap of 17 years.

The prime minister was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the presidential villa following which he held one-on-one meeting with Tinubu.

Both sides are likely to ink several agreements following the delegation-level talks.

Modi is in Nigeria as part of a three-nation tour. From Abuja, he will travel to Brazil to attend the G20 summit. His last destination will be Guyana.

The India-Nigeria ties were elevated to the status of a "strategic partnership' during the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to the African nation in October 2007.

Nigeria has been a close partner of India for over six decades.

New Delhi established its diplomatic House in Lagos in November 1958, two years before Nigeria became independent in 1960.

The presence of a large Indian expatriate community of about 60,000, the largest in West Africa, adds value to the importance of the long-standing relationship between the two countries.

There are more than 200 Indian companies who have invested about USD 27 billion in all important manufacturing sectors and these companies are the second largest employers after the federal government, according to Indian officials.

India has emerged as a development partner of Nigeria on two fronts -- by offering developmental assistance through concessional loans (USD 100 million) and by offering capacity-building training programmes.