Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited President Bola Tinubu to the BRICS Leaders’ Summit scheduled to take place in New Delhi from September 12 to 13.
The Indian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Abhishek Singh, disclosed this to journalists on Wednesday in Abuja, describing Nigeria’s participation as strategically important to BRICS due to the country’s economic and demographic significance.
Singh expressed hope that President Tinubu would lead a high-powered Nigerian delegation to the summit.
He noted that Nigeria, as Africa’s largest economy and one of the world’s most populous nations, would bring significant strategic value as a BRICS partner country.
The envoy also highlighted the strong diplomatic ties between Nigeria and India, including their mutual support for aspirations to secure permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council.
According to Singh, about 60,000 Indians currently live in Nigeria, with many deeply integrated into Nigerian society. He said the Indian community has contributed to strengthening relations between both countries in education, healthcare, culture and commerce.
He disclosed that bilateral trade between Nigeria and India was approaching $10 billion, while more than 200 Indian companies currently operate in Nigeria and employ nearly 100,000 Nigerians.
Singh added that cooperation between Abuja and New Delhi was expanding across key sectors, including defence, energy, healthcare, agriculture and technology.
He said the upcoming BRICS summit would provide another opportunity to deepen Nigeria-India relations and promote greater cooperation and integration among countries of the Global South.
