Abuja: The Vice-President of Colombia, Francia M¡rquez, arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja for a three-day official visit to Nigeria. This engagement is expected to deepen diplomatic and strategic relations between the two countries.

According to News Agency of Nigeria, the visit aims to enhance collaboration in governance, trade, agriculture, energy, education, and security, among other areas of mutual interest. The historic engagement is set to strengthen ties in trade, agriculture, education, energy, culture, and women’s empowerment, thereby opening a new chapter in South-South collaboration.

Francia M¡rquez was accompanied by her spouse, Mr. Rafael Ocor³, and was received by several Nigerian officials, including the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Uche Nnaji, and the Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim. Other dignitaries present were the Minister of State for the FCT, Mariya Bunkure, and the Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Zubaida Umar, along with other senior government officials.

The Colombian Vice-President’s delegation includes Cabinet Ministers, top government officials, and business sector leaders. They are set to engage their Nigerian counterparts in discussions aimed at strengthening bilateral ties. A key highlight of the visit is the signing of Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) in various strategic sectors such as women empowerment, trade, aviation, manufacturing, agriculture, and culture.

The visit will also feature a plenary session attended by both Vice-Presidents and the Nigeria-Colombia Business Forum, along with government-to-government bilateral meetings. Other side events include high-level business sector meetings hosted by the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, as well as a Summit on Artificial Intelligence.