PH, Nigeria Strengthen Ties On Trade, Aquaculture, Anti-Drug Trafficking

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Enrique Manalo and Nigerian Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary Olukunle Bamgbose shake hands before the start of the Joint Consultative Meeting (JCM) in Manila and both the Philippine and Nigerian panels discuss possible areas of cooperation during the JCM at the Conrad Hotel in Manila. (DFA Photos by Mark Santos)

The Philippines and Nigeria have agreed to continue working together to enhance not only economic and technical cooperation but also collaboration in the fight against terrorism and illegal drugs and other areas.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the agreement to further strengthen bilateral ties was reached during the Third Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) between the Philippines and Nigeria that was held at the Conrad Hotel in Manila on 15 August.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter S. Cayetano welcomed the outcome of the latest JCM consultations, which he is confident would bring relations between Manila and Abuja to a higher level.

“We look forward to working with Nigeria not only in economic and technical cooperation but also in other areas such as education and culture, agriculture, aquaculture, trade, tourism, and youth development, among others,” Secretary Cayetano said.

“We also have signified our interest in cooperating with Nigeria in combatting transnational crime, particularly in the fight against terrorism and drug trafficking,” Secretary Cayetano added.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Policy Enrique A. Manalo, head of the Philippine delegation, said both sides also discussed food security issue and agreed to establish bilateral linkages in aquaculture as a way to address this important concern.

Undersecretary Manalo said the Nigerian delegation also highlighted the need to have more exchanges, particularly in terms of visiting business delegations, to strengthen the existing trade and investment relations between the two countries.

Undersecretary Manalo said both sides also exchanged views on domestic, regional, and international developments, including the Bangsamoro Organic Law, the West Philippine Sea as well as Abuja’s chairmanship of the Economic Community of West African States, counterterrorism and climate change.

Aside from Undersecretary Manalo, the other members of the Philippine panel were Ambassador to Nigeria Shirley Ho-Vicario and officials from the DFA, the Department of Trade and Industry, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology.

The Nigerian delegation was headed by Permanent Secretary Ambassador Olukunle Bamgbose of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador to the Philippines Adekunbi Abibat Sonaike-Ayodeji and representatives from the Nigeria Immigration Service, Federal Ministry of Justice, and the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development.

The JCM is a platform for the two countries to review the state of bilateral relations and new areas for possible cooperation. The last JCM was held in Abuja in December 2012.

Since establishing diplomatic relations in 1962, the Philippines and Nigeria have entered into agreements on economic, technological, cultural, and educational cooperation.

Trade between the two countries total US$4.81 million, with Philippine exports totaling US$3.86 million and imports at US$945,000.00. There are around 3,200 Filipinos living and working in Nigeria. END