Nigeria and India Forge Deeper Maritime Security Ties

Nigeria and India on Sunday agreed to deepen collaboration in maritime security, intelligence and counter-terrorism during a state visit to the West African country by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Modi is the first Indian premier to visit Nigeria in 17 years after an invitation by President Bola Tinubu, who is seeking investments from some of the world's biggest economies.

Modi arrived in the capital Abuja on Saturday night and met Tinubu at the presidential villa on Sunday where the two leaders also discussed economic development, defence, healthcare and food security, a joint statement said.

With growing threats in the Gulf of Guinea and the Indian Ocean, the two countries agreed to coordinated action to safeguard maritime trade routes and combat piracy.

Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, is seeking to woo more Indian investment and cheaper lines of credit to boost its economy and create jobs.

On the sidelines of the G20 summit last year, Nigeria said it had secured nearly $14 billion of pledges from Indian investors, including Jindal Steel and Power which committed to pump $3 billion into Nigeria's steel sector.

There are more than 200 Indian companies operating in Nigeria.

After Nigeria, Modi was set to travel to Brazil to attend this year's G20 summit.

(Reuters - Writing by MacDonald Dzirutwe; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)