Vietnamese Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Bui Quoc Hung, has announced that bilateral trade between Vietnam and Nigeria surged to a record-breaking $1 billion in 2024—marking the first time trade volume between the two nations surpassed the $600 million threshold.
Ambassador Bui made this disclosure during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja, highlighting the milestone as a significant step forward in economic relations between both countries.
He expressed enthusiasm at the historical increase in trade volume, saying, “It’s a very remarkable achievement because, in the past, our trade volume typically ranged between 500 and 600 million dollars, and last year, for the first time, it reached one billion dollars.”
The envoy noted the positive relationship enjoyed between Vietnam and Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy, in various fields.
He highlighted areas of trade, indicating that Vietnam exports electronic products, garments, and textiles to Nigeria while importing raw materials, particularly cashew nuts.
Bui acknowledged the enormous opportunities for agricultural cooperation between the two countries, saying that Nigeria’s ongoing challenges with food security and Vietnam’s strengths in agricultural development could work for the mutual benefit of both countries.
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“The opportunity for agri-cooperation is huge between our two countries.
“Vietnam has a strong economy, particularly in agriculture, which can significantly contribute to addressing Nigeria’s food security challenges,” he said.
The ambassador underscored the importance of fostering cultural exchange between the two countries.
“We need to have more exchanges of delegations and programmes between our specific artist groups or delegations from various countries and in different fields, particularly concerning art and culture,” he added.
Ambassador Bui also noted that Vietnam and Nigeria will mark the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic ties this year, describing it as a timely opportunity to deepen collaboration across various sectors. He stressed the importance of building on the current momentum to expand bilateral cooperation and foster stronger economic and diplomatic engagement between the two nations.