India (Commonwealth Union)_ During the 18th G20 Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi engaged in a bilateral meeting with Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, addressing a spectrum of significant topics spanning defense, agriculture, millets, trade, and investment. Prime Minister Modi expressed his satisfaction with the fruitful discussions, underscoring their potential to strengthen the robust relations between India and Nigeria, with a particular emphasis on trade and cultural exchanges.
The Ministry of External Affairs also issued a statement highlighting the productive dialogue between the two leaders, encompassing bilateral cooperation areas such as trade and investment, defense, agriculture, millets, financial technology, and capacity building. Following the meeting, PM Modi took to X and stated, “It was a delight to meet President Bola Tinubu earlier today. Our talks were fruitful and will surely add momentum to the strong relations between India and Nigeria. Our key focus areas are trade and cultural exchanges”.
President Tinubu extended congratulations to Prime Minister Modi for the successful Indian G20 Presidency and expressed gratitude for India’s efforts in securing the African Union’s permanent membership in the G20, recognizing the advancement of Global South interests. President Tinubu’s visit to India included participation in the Nigeria-India Presidential Roundtable and the Nigeria-India Business Conference on the sidelines of the G20 Summit, marking him as the first head of state to arrive in the national capital for the G20 summit. His congratulatory message to the African Union on attaining permanent G20 membership further underscored the aspirations of the continent on the global stage through the G20 platform.
Following African Union’s permanent membership at the G20, the Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu took to X and tweeted, “Congratulations to the @_AfricanUnion on becoming a permanent member of the #G20. As a continent, we look forward to further advancing our aspirations on the global stage using the G20 platform. Pic: Indian PM @narendramodi and African Union Chairperson @PR_AZALI President Azali Assoumani of Comoros at the G20 Summit in Dehli, India #G20India”.
Prime Minister Modi, in his opening speech at the 18th G20 Leaders’ Summit, extended an invitation to the African Union, represented by Chairperson Azali Assoumani, to become a permanent member of the G20. This historic development took place as India hosted the G20 Leaders’ Summit, held at the newly inaugurated Bharat Mandapam in the national capital, symbolizing the nation’s pivotal role in shaping global dialogue and cooperation within the G20 framework.
