Nigeria’s Vice President Yemi Osinbajo departs Abuja on Saturday for the Socialist Republic of Vietnam for a high-level bilateral engagement in the South-East nation.
According to a statement signed by the VP’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, Osinbajo is scheduled to meet with the President of Vietnam, Nguyễn Xuân Phúc; the Vice President, Madam Vo Thi Anh Xuan; the Prime Minister, Pham Minh Chinh, other government officials and the business community.
The statement is titled ‘In high level visit to Vietnam, Osinbajo to meet President, VP, Prime Minister, others.’
“The VP’s reciprocal visit to the South-East Asian nation will further strengthen trade and bilateral relations between both countries,” Akande noted.
Although Nigeria and Vietnam have maintained long-standing diplomatic relations since 1976, Vice President Osinbajo will be the second Nigerian high-ranking government official to visit the South-East Asian country after former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
During the visit to the SRV, the Vice President is expected to witness the signing of Memorandum of Understanding and Agreements between Nigeria and Vietnam, as well as hold high level diplomatic discussions with his Vietnamese counterpart, and other important issues on trade, commerce, agriculture, technology and innovation.
Prof. Osinbajo will also participate in a Business Forum at the Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce aimed at matchmaking entrepreneurs from both countries.
With the opportunities existing in agriculture and technology in Nigeria and Vietnam, discussions by both countries would focus on mutual benefits from effective collaboration in these sectors and thereby deepen the friendly and trade relations of both countries.
In October 2019, then deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam, Vuong Hue, had urged Nigeria to strengthen the trade and bilateral relations between both countries.
Hue met with Prof. Osinbajo, other senior Nigerian government officials and also interacted with the Nigerian-Vietnam Business Association.
The Deputy Prime Minister, who was accompanied to Nigeria by senior Vietnamese Government officials and businessmen at the time, noted then that Nigeria was Vietnam’s largest trading partner in Africa.
Trade between both countries stood at $280m in 2014 and increased to over $500m in 2019.
The VP will conclude the Vietnam visit on Wednesday, December 7, 2022.
