President Bola Tinubu is hosting his Sierra Leonean counterpart, Julius Bio, at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Bio arrived at the Villa’s forecourt at 12:22 p.m. on Monday, accompanied by Presidential Guards Brigade bagpipers.
He was greeted by President’s Chief of Staff, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, and led to the closed-door meeting.
Nigeria and Sierra Leone have had friendly diplomatic relations since their respective independence in October 1960 and April 1961.
Both countries are equally active members of the Economic Community of West African States and the African Union, and they have collaborated on projects to promote regional peace, stability, and prosperity.
Following a 1997 military coup, Nigerian forces helped defeat the rebel forces and restore the democratically elected government of President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah.
This resulted in the deployment of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone in 1999, which supported disarmament and peacekeeping.
However, the trade between the two nations has been on and off the last couple of years.
Nigerian exports to Sierra Leone are estimated at $5.55 million in 2023.
Fertilizers, other foodstuffs, electrical and electronic equipment, glass and glassware, coffee, tea, mate, and spices were the most common exports.
Conversely, Sierra Leone’s principal exports to Nigeria are animal and vegetable fats and oils, machinery and boilers, rubber articles, and fish and crustaceans.
