By Ikpechukwu Ojobor
Nigeria and Russia are set to strengthen their bilateral relations through the platform of the BRICS Women’s Business Alliance (WBA).
Special Assistant on Communication and New Media to the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Magnus Eze, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja, highlighting that the move reflects Nigeria’s readiness to deepen economic cooperation with Russia under the BRICS framework.
Speaking at a stakeholders’ interactive session during the visit of the Russian Chapter of the BRICS Women’s Business Alliance at the State House Banquet Hall, Abuja, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, described the engagement as timely, stressing that it provided a platform for both nations to explore fresh investment opportunities.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu noted that although Nigeria and Russia share decades of friendship, cooperation, and solidarity across education, defence, energy, technology, and multilateral diplomacy, the present moment demands that both countries look beyond history and embrace future-oriented partnerships.
She explained that the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration was charting a new course through the Renewed Hope Agenda and the “4-Ds” foreign policy approach—Democracy, Development, Demography, and Diaspora.
According to her, the administration’s priorities of inclusive growth, youth empowerment, and active global engagement align with the mission of the BRICS Women’s Business Alliance.
The minister praised Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, for hosting the event, describing her as an excellent example of the transformative power of women in shaping societies and fostering international cooperation.
Welcoming the Russian delegation on behalf of the First Lady, she commended Ms. Anna Nesterova, Chairperson of the Russian Chapter of the BRICS WBA, for bringing the group’s dynamism to Nigeria, saying it underscored the central role of women in reshaping global business, diplomacy, and investment in the 21st century.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu further highlighted areas for strategic cooperation, including trade and investment, agriculture, energy, digital innovation, and education, noting that women entrepreneurs would be at the heart of ensuring inclusive and sustainable gains.
She stressed that the meeting must go beyond symbolism by producing actionable outcomes such as frameworks for cooperation, joint ventures, and enduring networks between Nigerian and Russian women entrepreneurs.
“Nigeria is ready to work closely with our Russian counterparts, and by extension the BRICS platform, to promote inclusive prosperity,” she affirmed. “We are confident that the discussions here today will provide a roadmap for stronger bilateral relations, deeper people-to-people connections, and new opportunities that will uplift the lives of our citizens.”
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