KEY POINTS

• Nigeria and the EU have begun formal negotiations for a comprehensive science and technology cooperation agreement.
• The pact will expand joint research, innovation funding access, and collaboration across priority sectors like health, climate, and digital technology.
• Both sides target completion by 2026–2027, positioning innovation as a cornerstone of their long-term strategic partnership.

The European Union, EU, and the Nigeria have officially launched negotiations toward a bilateral Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement, signalling a major shift from informal collaboration to a structured partnership designed to strengthen research, innovation, and technological development.

The negotiations with the EU were inaugurated at Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology headquarters in Abuja, where officials described the proposed framework as historic and strategic, placing science and innovation at the centre of expanding EU–Nigeria relations.

According to EU Ambassador Gautier Mignot, the agreement will provide a formal political and legal structure to scale existing cooperation, particularly under Horizon Europe, the bloc’s flagship research initiative.

He emphasised that the partnership reflects the EU’s Global Gateway strategy, which focuses on building sustainable and mutually beneficial collaborations that enhance local capacity while delivering long-term development impact.

Flexible, Future-Oriented Cooperation Model

The EU chief negotiator Nienke Buisman explained that the planned agreement is intentionally designed as an overarching and adaptable framework.

It will define guiding principles and cooperation formats while allowing priority sectors to evolve over time. The framework distinguishes between:

• Direct cooperation – joint workshops, exchanges, and research studies
• Indirect cooperation – participation in each other’s programmes

She noted that predictability, trust, and intellectual property protections are essential for sustained scientific collaboration.

Nigeria’s Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh described the negotiations as a turning point for the country’s research ecosystem, stressing that innovation now sits at the heart of Nigeria’s national development agenda.

He added that implementation will be driven by measurable outcomes and overseen by a joint science and technical cooperation committee to ensure the agreement produces tangible results rather than symbolic commitments.