Nigeria, Israel Eye Deepened Cooperation in Food Security, Film Production

Nigeria, Israel Eye Deepened Cooperation in Food Security, Film Production

JOEL OLADELE, Abuja

The Federal Government of Nigeria and the State of Israel are set to enhance their bilateral relations, with a joint commission to drive the collaboration between the two countries.

This was disclosed by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu, after a recent meeting with the Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria and Permanent Rep to ECOWAS, Michael Freeman, in Abuja.

The meeting, which focused on strengthening bilateral ties in various areas, including food security and film production, saw Ambassador Ojukwu expressing enthusiasm for the potential of collaboration between the two countries in these sectors.

In particular, she emphasized the need for Israel’s advanced technology in food production, which could help boost Nigeria’s agricultural productivity and ensure food security.

The Minister stated: “Israel is reputable in areas of security and counter-terrorism. We look forward to taking it beyond bilateral relations. We would want Nigeria to benefit from Israel’s technology especially in the area of food security.

“The Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is working diligently to improve the life of the poorest of the poor. The target of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs is working to ensure that the poverty-stricken have access to food and other humanitarian services. So, we hope that we can get to learn more about the drip irrigation technology.”

In the area of film production, Ambassador Ojukwu expressed Nigeria’s desire for collaboration with Israel, particularly with Nollywood, the largest movie industry in Africa. She noted that Nigeria contributes significantly to religious tourism in Israel, and a collaboration in the film sector could be mutually beneficial.

“We hope that there could be some bilateral agreement in the area of Nollywood production. It’s a successful industry in Nigeria and we would like collaboration in this sector.

“The two hundred and fifty million dollars volume of trade you mentioned is nothing, we hope that our prospective investors come to Israel and explore export opportunities to the country. We are calling for more collaborations, we are happy that some are on in the area of security,” Ojukwu noted.

Importantly, the Minister commiserated with Israel over the October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas, stressing that it was a big dent on humanity. She expressed the optimism that after the current ceasefire, tension would be deescalated and the remaining hostages released.

“When the October 7 attacks happened, for most people it was traumatic. What happened was a terrible stain on humanity. Nobody could have imagined that that kind of situation could have happened in the 21st century. I will start by extending condolences to the State of Israel.

“I think that this administration clearly accepts that something happened and when we say never again, we hope that the world will do everything to create a more harmonious structure and ensure initiatives that this kind of mayhem does not happen again.

“Truth is that there’s a humanitarian situation in Gaza, so we are desirous of knowing what the future has for Gaza,” the minister enthused.

Earlier, Ambassador Freeman stated that Israel and Nigeria have had a very interesting diplomatic history. He congratulated the Minister on her recent appointment, and was upbeat that her coming would enliven the relationship between both countries.

He put the Nigeria-Israel volume of trade at $250million before the Hamas conflict and expressed the enthusiasm that it would improve, going forward.

The Israeli envoy said: “There is an opportunity for a very strong relationship with Nigeria. We’re looking for how we can build strong bilateral relations in agriculture, water management, education and health.

“With drip irrigation technology, we can grow rice anywhere. By next week, I will display that by planting rice in our farm at the embassy. We hope that Nigeria will take advantage of this advanced technology for rice production.

“We hope to do projects in health; advanced surgeries, malaria. We are doing well in early education. We also have i-FAIR, the highly innovative entrepreneurship mentorship programme in Nigeria. This is a breeding ground for future business leaders and innovators.

“We have trained 2,000 persons but hope to double the number. The aim is to have knowledge transfer to Nigerians without necessarily going to Israel.”

He disclosed that there is a film co-production agreement between both countries but is “somewhere stuck in the Nigerian system for over a year now. I am aware that Israel/Nigeria are currently working jointly on a movie project.”

Ambassador Freeman further said that Israel will be happy to have high level dialogue with Nigeria; “a practical dialogue that will be positive to us.”

He also updated the minister on the conflict with Hamas stressing that Israel had no territorial ambition in Gaza.

“Israel has no territorial desire or ambition. We don’t have any plans of staying in Lebanon. We left Gaza in 2005 and have no ambition to remain there but we can’t allow Hamas to control Gaza,” the ambassador said.

The meeting was attended by Director, Office of the Honourable Minister of State, Ambassador Innocent Iwejuo and Consul, Israeli Embassy, Abuja, Ms Inbar Lipman Garden.