Nigeria’s Vice President, Kashim Shettima, has urged the European Union (EU) to deepen its collaboration with Africa, emphasising the need to turn existing partnerships into concrete developmental outcomes. He described the EU as a natural ally, whose investments have been pivotal in supporting President Bola Tinubu’s reform agenda.
Speaking on Thursday during a meeting with an EU delegation led by the bloc’s Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the Vice President stressed the importance of moving the Nigeria-EU relationship beyond goodwill into action that produces transformative change.
Shettima reiterated Nigeria’s willingness to capitalise on the EU’s Global Gateway initiative, which aims to finance clean, smart, and secure infrastructure projects across the globe. He noted that this strategy aligns with Nigeria’s priorities, including the development of high-speed rail systems, improved seaports and airports, renewable energy plants, and vocational training centres.
Calling for a bold shift in the partnership’s dynamics, Shettima said, “The EU are our natural allies and natural partners. I am guided by logic, rationality, and not by sentiments. We see our relationship with the EU as a long-term goal because we have come a long way, and there is room for improvement.
“Our expectations as Nigerians and as Africans are clear. We want this partnership to graduate from well-meaning commitments to transformative outcomes. We want more joint ventures, deeper trade facilitation under the AfCFTA, unchangeable investments in energy, education, and digital inclusion.”
He underlined that the two regions share values such as democracy, religious freedom, inclusivity, and gender equality. These shared ideals, he said, make it imperative for the EU to evolve from being a donor to becoming a collaborative architect of African prosperity.
“We hope to see the EU move from being a donor to being a co-creator of African prosperity. We really want to be partners with the European Union, not as recipients of aid but as co-creators of prosperity and wealth.
“And we have some commonalities that we share – our commitment to democracy, freedom of worship, inclusivity and gender empowerment, green technology initiative, and climate adaptability. We are literally on the same page with the EU on so many issues,” he added.
Shettima also praised the current leadership of the African Union (AU) Commission for revitalising the union’s vision with renewed clarity and dedication.
In his remarks, EU Ambassador Gautier Mignot acknowledged the strength of the Africa-EU relationship, which he said is celebrating 25 years. He noted that the EU remains Africa’s leading partner across multiple sectors.
“The EU is Africa’s first partner—its first trading partner, first investor, first provider of official development assistance, and first humanitarian donor,” Mignot said.
He disclosed that in 2022, the EU’s foreign direct investment in Africa reached €309 billion—far surpassing the levels from both the United States and China. This, he explained, underlines the bloc’s strong and ongoing commitment to the continent.
The meeting also reviewed the progress made on the Joint Vision for 2030, a framework adopted during the 2022 AU-EU Summit. The vision is designed to align closely with Africa’s Agenda 2063 and the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).