Vice President Yemi Osinbajo will meet with Canadian Deputy Prime Minister, Chrystia Freeland to discuss avenues to strengthen diplomatic ties between the two countries in Ottawa, Canada on Monday.
Osinbajo, who touched down in Canadian capital, Ottawa, Monday, will also be in talks with other top Canadian officials and members of parliament during the visit.
The Vice President’s three-day visit will avail Nigeria opportunity to deliberate on issues surrounding, climate justice, educational collaboration, technology, and creative industry.
According to Laolu Akanda, Senior Special Assistance to the President on Media and Publicity, Office of the Vice President, Osinbajo’s visit to Canada will be Nigeria’s first high-level meeting with Canadian officials after President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2000.
On Wednesday, Osinbajo is expected to deliver a public lecture at Queen’s University in Kinston.
Queen’s University is famous for leading research on United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).
Nigeria’s Vice President is expected to build on existing bilateral relations with Canada that is reported as the largest in sub-Saharan Africa.
Nigeria was Canada’s greatest bilateral trade partner in Africa in 2021, accounting for $2.67 billion in bilateral trade in goods. The value of goods imported by Canada from Nigeria in 2021 was $2.1 billion.
Mineral fuels and oils, cocoa, rubber, and lead are Canada’s biggest imports. Canada exported $605.4 million to Nigeria in 2021.
Canada exports a wide variety of goods, including cars, aircraft, wheat, manufacturing equipment, software, and vehicles and equipment. In 1999, a double taxation agreement became effective.
On May 6, 2014, in Abuja, a Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (FIPA) had been signed by both countries, however, the ratification procedure is still ongoing.
With 11,667 Nigerian students, Nigeria in 2019 accounts for the most international students from Africa studying in Canada.
