Security, education, jobs, and other details of Nigeria, UK bilateral agreements

President Muhammadu Buhari, during his meeting with UK Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday, signed a Security and Defence Partnership, as well as a Business/Economic Support agreement.

The Security and Defence Partnership, a first between the two countries, entails the provision of equipment and training for the Nigerian military.

A £13 million education programme that will provide training for teachers, school equipment, and security for schools, for 100,000 children living in parts of the Northeast affected by Boko Haram was included as part of the agreement.

Other inclusions in the partnership are as follows:

* Roll out a new crisis response mechanism for Nigeria, similar to the UK’s Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms (COBR) system;

* A framework to strengthen policing, reduce piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, tackle organized crime, and tackle corruption;

* Establishment of a new civil asset recovery task force will help Nigeria recover stolen assets held in Britain and stop criminals from using the UK as a safe haven for the proceeds of corruption;

* Establishment of an enhanced human rights dialogue to ensure that collaborative efforts by both countries are in line with international human rights protocols;

* Establishment of a regular forum for UK and Nigerian Ministers to meet and discuss solutions and responses to common security challenges and priorities.

For the Business/Economic Support, one of the objectives of the Agreement is to set in motion plans for the establishment of a UK-Nigeria Bilateral Commission, which will oversee cooperation in trade and security and other matters of mutual benefit to both countries, as well as oversee bilateral meetings to be hosted interchangeably in the UK and Nigeria.

A new programme that will support innovative businesses in Northeast Nigeria, with the goal of raising the incomes of 3 million people and helping create 100,000 jobs was also launched.

Other agreements that were launched by Buhari and May are:

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* A new Innovation Partnerships in Nigeria, which will create linkages between UK and Nigerian tech professionals/innovators, and also provide opportunities for skills-building, education, access to investment to Nigerian innovators;

* A UK-Africa FinTech partnership (Nigerian entrepreneurs will be connected with UK FinTech investors and business mentors, for financing and mentoring), alongside a dedicated £2 million Fund to support Nigerian innovators;

* New initiatives to collaborate with and support the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

* Provision of up to £750 million in financing for Nigerian businesses buying British products, by UK Export Finance.

Both countries also launched a 12-month skill sharing programme  –  ‘Legal Services are GREAT’  –  which will bring UK and Nigerian legal professionals together to build capacity within the Nigerian legal industry.