Nigeria and Mali have agreed to hold a Joint Commission soon to revitalise some dormant bilateral agreements between the two countries.
This was the highpoint of a diplomatic engagement between both countries when the Ambassador of Mali to Nigeria, Oumar Coulibaly paid a courtesy visit on the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu at Tafawa Balewa House, Abuja.
The Minister said that Nigeria and Mali had had very cordial bilateral relations, noting that the exit of the Sahel states of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger would not make them jettison their relationship.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu pointed out that the two countries needed to cooperate militarily to address the security situation in the Sahel occasioned by terrorism and banditry.
Harping on the Joint Commission, the minister said that it was a veritable platform to reactivate bilateral agreements, stressing that security, trade, energy, irregular migration/human trafficking, Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) and others would top areas of cooperation.
Meanwhile, the Honourable Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, has reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to strengthening bilateral relations with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), while reiterating the country’s support for peace, stability and regional cooperation across Africa.
The Honourable Minister of State gave the assurance on Monday, 13 July 2026, when he received in audience the Special Envoy of the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, His Excellency President Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abuja.
The Special Envoy, who was accompanied by the Ambassador of the Democratic Republic of Congo to Nigeria, Mrs. Pascaline Gerengbo Yakivu, delivered a special message from President Tshisekedi to His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, and extended an invitation to Nigeria to participate in the forthcoming United Nations Security Council High-Level Open Debate on Peace, Security, Stability and Development scheduled to hold on 22 July 2026 in New York.
The Envoy noted that the debate would provide an important platform for Africa to advance common positions on peace, security, stability and sustainable development, while demonstrating African leadership in addressing the continent’s challenges. He emphasised that the Democratic Republic of the Congo attaches great importance to Nigeria’s participation, particularly in view of Nigeria’s leadership role on the African continent.
Responding, Ambassador Enikanolaiye conveyed the warm greetings of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, to President Félix Tshisekedi and congratulated the Democratic Republic of the Congo on its election as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. He expressed confidence that the DRC would effectively champion issues of strategic importance to Africa during its tenure on the Council. The Honourable Minister of State commended the initiative to convene a high-level debate on the nexus between peace, security, stability and development, stressing that sustainable development can only be achieved in an atmosphere of peace and stability