ABU DHABI - The United Arab Emirates has hosted the first UAE-Nigeria Joint Committee meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in Abu Dhabi.

The meeting was co-chaired by Sheikh Shakhboot bin Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of State, and Ambassador Zubairu Dada, Honorable Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in Nigeria.

A number of senior officials from the Government of Nigeria participated in the meeting, and the Emirati delegation included senior officials representing various federal and local government entities, semi-governmental organisations, and private companies.

During the meeting, the two sides discussed political and economic cooperation, highlighting the importance of establishing new channels of bilateral cooperation.

They also discussed opportunities for cooperation in the areas of trade and economy, SMEs, entrepreneurship, clean energy, technology, education, defense and security, finance and banking, customs, culture, youth and sports, and aviation.

Sheikh Shakhboot commended the effectiveness of the Joint Committee in enhancing cooperation between the Emirati and Nigerian private and public sectors and encouraged participants to continue leveraging this platform.

For his part, Zubairu Dada highlighted Nigeria’s interest in further strengthening the bilateral relationship and growing cooperation between both countries.

The Joint Committee meeting concluded with both sides signing Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs), including an MoU for cooperation in the field of culture and youth and an MoU for cooperation in the field of sport.