From defence to trade: Why Nigeria’s pivot to Türkiye matters
President Bola Tinubu's visit underlines Türkiye’s increasing presence as a strategic partner in Africa and a stabilising force in the continent’s security architecture, experts say.
The meeting between Presidents Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Bola Tinubu signaled a pivot by Nigeria in its approach to relations with Türkiye that can be drawn down to one line: “Practical and forward-looking”.
That was President Tinubu’s message to Nigerians at the conclusion of his meeting with his host in Ankara which saw the two countries sign nine agreements across defence, trade, education, diaspora policy and social development.
For Nigeria, this is part of its diversification push to forge alliances beyond its traditional allies, as it faces constraints from an economy on the mend and a complex security crisis. President Tinubu said his country was “open to trade without barriers, open to ideas, skills, and investment that create value and shared prosperity”.
Yet the visit also underlines Türkiye’s increasing presence as a strategic partner in Africa and a stabilising force in the continent’s security architecture, experts told TRT Afrika.
Nigeria’s Defence Minister Christopher Musa told TRT Afrika that the military protocol signed during the visit will see Türkiye transfer technology in the production of military hardware. Some Nigerian companies have already opened engagements with Turkish defence companies on the prospects of joint production, he added.
“We are a power block in the region. If we start producing this, we're able to assist our neighboring countries to also get this. Employment is going to increase, foreign exchange is going to come in. So it's going to be a win-win for both countries and that's what we want,” the minister said.
“And the president of Türkiye has always been supportive to Nigeria and we are very grateful to him and the Turkish government, and we'll continue to work together,” he added.
The West African country is battling terrorist groups like Boko Haram and ISWAP that have sought to establish a foothold in the northeastern region. It also continues to witness clashes between farmers and herders, and kidnappings for ransom carried out by armed gangs.
But it is handicapped by a lack of self-reliance in defence manufacturing capabilities and supply chains.
Experts say the protocol on military cooperation stands out as the most significant from President Tinubu’s visit.
"This visit may look like a classic diplomatic visit, but there's a much bigger scene behind it. Türkiye is not only talking to Nigeria but offering a new ambitious story to the rest of Africa. It's about generally building a strategic partnership that speaks to the continent's future,” said Göktuğ Çalışkan, an international relations specialist at ANKASAM, a Turkish think-tank.
Moreover, Türkiye’s experience and successes in the fight against terrorism is seen to provide a significant blueprint to Nigeria's counter-terrorism operations.
“Türkiye can cooperate with the Nigerian army and air force by providing operational guidance in areas such as unmanned aerial vehicles, helicopters, maintenance and repair capabilities, advanced military training programmes, and counter-terrorism expertise. This could significantly enhance Nigeria's counter-terrorism capabilities and operational effectiveness in the field,” said Kenan Toprak, a researcher on Nigeria affairs.
On the economic front, the two countries established a joint economic committee intended to strengthen economic cooperation. The two leaders set a target of increasing the trade volume between Nigeria and Türkiye to $5 billion.
Nigeria became Türkiye’s largest trading partner in sub-Saharan Africa in 2025 with oil exports included, Turkish trade ministry said.
“Türkiye offers significant trade opportunities to Nigeria in various sectors including infrastructure and construction, renewable energy and technology, agriculture and food, light industry and consumer goods, defense and security, and tourism and cultural cooperation,” said Toprak.
He added: “Türkiye's experience in large-scale infrastructure projects offers cooperation opportunities that align with Nigeria's vision of modernising its physical and economic structure. As the trade diversity increases, the opportunities of Turkish companies to cooperate with investment in Nigeria will increase and employment opportunities will expand in Nigeria.”
And as trade and military ties grow, so will the social ties develop, with agreements signed in media and communication, higher education, diplomatic training, and social and women’s affairs. The aim is to change how people from the two countries see each other, experts said.
“The media agreement is especially important here also. For many years, Africa has mostly appeared in global news, through crisis, coup d'etats or disasters. Shared media space between Türkiye and Nigeria is part of an attempt to break that one dimensional story. Joint media trainings, content exchange and TV faces appearing in each other's media can amplify Nigeria's voice and add Türkiye's perspective to how Africa is talked about,” Çalışkan told TRT Afrika.
“Türkiye will not be remembered in Africa only for military platforms it sells. It will be associated with a story that it has written together with African partners and Nigeria is one of the main coauthors of that story.”