President Bola Tinubu is meeting with his Sierra Leone counterpart, Julius Bio, at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Bio arrived in the villa’s forecourt at 12:22 p.m. on Monday, accompanied by bagpipers from the Presidential Guards Brigade.
Upon Bio’s arrival, he was greeted by the President’s Chief of Staff, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, who led him to the closed-door meeting.
Nigeria and Sierra Leone have had close diplomatic ties since their respective independences in October 1960 and April 1961.
Both countries are active members of the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States, and they have worked together on projects to promote regional peace, stability, and prosperity.
Between 1991 and 2002, Nigeria played a critical role in assisting Sierra Leone throughout its civil war by leading the ECOWAS Monitoring Group in peacekeeping efforts to restore regional calm.
Following a military coup in 1997, the Nigerian army helped to defeat rebel factions and restore President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah’s democratically elected administration.
This resulted in the deployment of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone in 1999, which aided in disarmament and peacekeeping efforts.
However, trade between the two nations has fluctuated in recent years.
Nigerian exports to Sierra Leone are estimated to be worth $5.55 million in 2023.
Fertilizers, miscellaneous culinary preparations, electrical and electronic equipment, glass and glassware, coffee, tea, mate, and spices were the most common exports.
Meanwhile, Sierra Leone’s primary exports to Nigeria are animal and vegetable fats and oils, machinery and boilers, rubber goods, and fish and crustaceans.
