Africa Bazaar Staff Writer | POLICY & TRADE
Nigeria and the United States have moved to deepen cooperation across security, migration and commercial ties, as both sides seek to recalibrate elements of their bilateral relationship amid broader regional and global pressures.
Nigerian Foreign Minister Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu met with U.S. Charge d’Affaires David Heffern in Abuja on Tuesday for wide-ranging discussions focused on security and defense coordination, border and migration management, counterterrorism efforts, and intelligence sharing. The talks, which also covered visa policy concerns and other bilateral issues, alongside engagement under the Joint Working Group framework and broader efforts to strengthen regional stability, are part of the ongoing efforts of the Trump and the Tinubu Administrations to continue to find a mutual path forward in resolving some of the thorny issues and differences the two countries have, especially around religion and immigration.
The Foreign Minister, in a social media post on X said a key point of the discussion was Nigeria’s designation as a Country of Particular Concern under the U.S. religious freedom policy. Both sides agreed to sustain engagement on measures to address the designation and to advance conditions that could support its reversal, while reaffirming their commitment to the long-standing strategic relationship between Abuja and Washington.
On the commercial front, the U.S. Foreign Commercial Service convened a U.S.-Nigeria business networking reception, bringing together Nigerian firms that have participated in major U.S. trade shows, as well as participants in the Network with the USA (NUSA) program and U.S. companies operating in priority sectors.
The initiative is designed to expand two-way investment flows by connecting vetted Nigerian businesses to U.S. trade and investment opportunities.
This builds on other engagements between officials from both sides. Last month, Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment Dr. Jumoke Oduwole met with her counterpart U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer and Special Assistant to President Trump, National Security Council David Copley in Washington on the sideline of the IMF-World Bank Spring Meetings to explore opportunities to deepen American investment in Nigeria’s critical minerals sector, as part of efforts to drive inclusive and sustainable economic growth.
According to records, bilateral trade between both countries rose 14 percent in 2025 to nearly $15 billion, underscoring steady commercial momentum, even as both governments continue to expand cooperation on security and regulatory issues.
