By Stephen Simon
The Federal Government has commended the Republic of Poland for its support to Nigerian students displaced by the Russia–Ukraine war, describing the intervention as a strong demonstration of growing bilateral cooperation between both countries.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, gave the commendation while receiving Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Economy, Krzysztof Gawkowski, during a diplomatic engagement in Abuja.
According to a statement issued by the minister’s Special Assistant on Communication and New Media, Magnus Eze, Odumegwu-Ojukwu noted that about 6,000 Nigerians currently reside in Poland, many of whom are pursuing academic programmes across various institutions.
She expressed appreciation to the Polish government for providing opportunities that enabled Nigerian students affected by the Ukraine conflict to continue their education in Poland, following the disruption of their studies in Ukraine.
The minister stressed that education remains a central pillar of Nigeria–Poland relations, adding that Nigerian scholars have for years benefited from academic and scientific exchange programmes with Polish institutions.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu also reaffirmed the long-standing diplomatic relations between both countries, established in 1962, noting Nigeria’s interest in expanding cooperation in key sectors including artificial intelligence, digital transformation, agriculture, defence, infrastructure, education, tourism and culture.
She further reiterated Nigeria’s commitment to addressing security challenges such as terrorism, piracy and transnational crime, calling for stronger collaboration in cybersecurity, intelligence sharing and maritime security.
The minister urged both countries to accelerate discussions on a proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on maritime cooperation, describing it as critical to strengthening regional security and trade.
In his remarks, Krzysztof Gawkowski described Nigeria as one of Africa’s leading economic and technology hubs, expressing Poland’s interest in deepening partnerships in digital innovation, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and private sector development.
He added that several Polish companies are seeking investment opportunities in Nigeria’s digital and infrastructure sectors, while also encouraging Nigerian businesses to explore prospects in Poland.
Both countries agreed to strengthen political consultations, expand technological cooperation, enhance economic partnerships and deepen people-to-people relations as part of efforts to consolidate bilateral ties.
