ETHIOPIAN AMBASSADOR TO NIGERIA HOSTS AMB. TIMOTHY NWACHUKWU, SDGs COUNCIL.

 UN AGENDA 2030:

ETHIOPIAN AMBASSADOR TO NIGERIA HOSTS AMB. TIMOTHY NWACHUKWU, SDGs COUNCIL.

Discussion centred on Trade and  Investment opportunities in Agriculture and Food Security, Education, ICT and Youth Development.

*In a meeting aimed at fostering stronger bilateral ties between Ethiopia and Nigeria, the Ethiopian Ambassador to Nigeria, His Excellency Legesse Geremew Haile played host to  Ambassador Timothy Nwachukwu LLB, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) National Students Council, Office Of the Senior Special Assistant to the President of Nigeria on Students Engagement for high-level discussions centered on key areas of cooperation and shared development priorities between the two African nations.*

The meeting, which took place at the Ethiopian Embassy in Abuja, Nigeria, saw Ambassador Legesse Geremew Haile welcoming Amb. Nwachukwu and delegation from the SDG Council. The discussions were wide-ranging and in-depth, with a focus placed on exploring opportunities for increased trade and investment flows between Ethiopia and Nigeria, as well as cooperation in strategic sectors including agriculture and food security, education, information and communications technology (ICT), and youth development.

*Speaking at the outset, the Ethiopian Ambassador underscored the importance of strengthening relations between Ethiopia and Nigeria, as two of Africa's leading economies and populations. He emphasized that there is vast untapped potential for mutually beneficial cooperation across multiple domains. "Ethiopia and Nigeria have a long history of close ties and solidarity. Today's discussions represent an important step in our efforts to translate this foundation into concrete partnerships that drive economic growth, sustainable development, and shared prosperity," the Ambassador stated.*

Amb. Timothy Nwachukwu and the SDG Council delegation gave presentations highlighting Nigeria's experience and successes in implementing the United Nations' SDGs, particularly Goals 1 (No Poverty), 2 (Zero Hunger), 4 (Quality Education), 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure) and 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). They emphasized the importance of inclusive economic growth, job creation, skills development, access to quality education and healthcare, and leveraging technology to achieve the SDGs and the need to learn from the Ethiopian Experience in accelerating SDGs implementation.

In discussing trade and investment, both sides agreed on the imperative of deepening economic engagement given the complementarities between Ethiopia and Nigeria's economies. Opportunities were identified in areas like Wheat Production, agro-processing, renewable energy, and logistics and transportation. The need for greater people-to-people exchanges and partnerships between the private sectors was also highlighted.

Regarding agriculture and food security,  Ambassador Legesse Geremew Haile and the SDGs Council exchanged views on best practices and innovations in improving productivity, efficiency and resilience of the agricultural value chain. They touched on topics such as crop and animal production, value addition, mechanization, irrigation, climate smart agriculture, input distribution, and market access. The importance of the sector in supporting economic growth, job creation and human wellbeing was underscored.

On education, the discussions centered on the necessity of investing in human capital development in order to achieve the SDGs. Areas of potential cooperation identified included faculty and student exchanges, joint research initiatives, technology transfer, capacity building for teachers. The Ambassador emphasized Ethiopia's commitment to expanding access to quality education at all levels.

In the realm of ICT, the meeting explored ways that both countries could leverage technology and digitalization to drive transformation and sustainable development. This included utilizing e-learning to expand access to education, deploying digital payments and e-commerce platforms to boost trade, harnessing precision agriculture and satellite imaging to improve agricultural productivity, and adopting clean energy solutions to power homes and enterprises. The need to bridge the digital divide and ensure equitable access to technology and connectivity was emphasized.

Finally, the issue of youth development featured prominently in the discussions, with both sides agreeing that empowering young people is critical for achieving the SDGs. They touched on the need to create quality jobs, improve access to education and skills training, provide mentorship and entrepreneurship opportunities, and meaningfully engage youth in the development process. The Ambassador and Amb. Nwachukwu also explored establishing exchange programs for young leaders and entrepreneurs.

Having concluded the detailed technical discussions, the Ethiopian Ambassador hailed the meeting as a huge success. He expressed appreciation for the very productive and candid engagement and reiterated Ethiopia's commitment to rapidly deepening its partnership with Nigeria. Amb. Nwachukwu and the SDG Council delegation were equally positive in their assessment, welcoming the opportunity to learn from each other's experiences and develop concrete plans for cooperation.

The meeting ended with a renewed sense of optimism and urgency around the potential for Ethiopia and Nigeria to work together to achieve the SDGs and deliver a better future for citizens of both countries. It was agreed that follow-up sessions would be convened to take forward the key action points and recommendations emerging from the meeting.  Ambassador Legesse Geremew Haile and delegation parted ways with a shared sense of responsibility and determination to translate the spirit of partnership and shared ambition into tangible outcomes and results.

*sdgnsc@gmail.com*