The Vice President of the Republic of Colombia, Francia Márquez, has arrived in Nigeria for a three-day official visit.
Accompanied by her spouse, Rafael Yerney Pinillo Ocoró, the Colombian VP was received on arrival at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, by the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, and the Minister of State, FCT, Mariya Bunkure.
Also on the ground to receive her were the Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim; Director General of National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Zubaida Umar, and other senior government officials.
Márquez’s official visit to Nigeria is expected to deepen diplomatic and strategic relations between Nigeria and Colombia as well as enhance collaboration in areas of mutual interest, including governance, trade, agriculture, energy, education, and security, among others.
The Colombian vice president was accompanied on the visit by cabinet ministers, top government officials and business sector leaders who are set to engage their Nigerian counterparts in discussions around key areas aimed at strengthening ties between both countries.
A key highlight of the visit is the signing of memoranda of understanding in strategic areas of the economy, including women’s empowerment, trade, aviation, manufacturing, agriculture, and culture, among others.
The visit will also feature a plenary session to be graced by both vice presidents of the two countries and the Nigeria-Colombia Business Forum, government-to-government bilateral meetings, side events, including high-level business sector meetings hosted by the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, as well as a summit on artificial intelligence.
