Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said he wants to “vastly expand and diversify” trade with Nigeria, Africa’s leading oil exporter. Mr Singh said the two countries wanted to form a “partnership for economic growth” during an address to a special session of Nigeria’s National Assembly.
The state visit to Nigeria is the first by an Indian premier for some 45 years.
Correspondents say it is part of an effort by India to compete for energy and markets with China and the West.
Nigeria is believed to want investment and trade and is interested in India’s expertise in Information Technology and low-cost manufacturing.
Competition for resources
Speaking after holding talks with the Nigerian President, Umaru Yar’Adua, Mr Singh said he wanted to strengthen ties between the two countries.
“Ours is a partnership for economic growth,” he told the National Assembly in Abuja.
“Nigeria is already India’s largest trading partner in Africa, but we need to vastly expand and diversify our trade,” he added.
The BBC’s Alex Last in Lagos says the sizeable Indian community in Nigeria has been doing business rather successfully for decades and the West African state already provides around 10% of India’s petroleum needs.
It is therefore rather surprising that it has been more than 40 years since an Indian prime minister came specifically to visit Nigeria, our correspondent says.
However, in recent years Chinese oil firms have been challenging the dominance of Western multi-nationals in the Nigerian oil and gas industry and it seems India does not want to be left behind, he adds.