Wednesday, February 23, 2022 — The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Ambassador to the United Nations Office and other international organisations in Geneva, His Excellency Colin Murdoch received His Excellency Abiodun Richards Adejola, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to the United Nations and other international organisations in Geneva on Tuesday, February 22, 2022. 

Ambassador Adejola’s call is the first diplomatic visit to the OECS Geneva Mission under Ambassador Murdoch’s tenure, which began in November 2021. During the visit, Ambassador Murdoch spoke to the diplomatic outreach of Caribbean countries to the African continent, specifically the efforts being made by the Embassies of the Eastern Caribbean States to the Kingdom of Morocco which are complemented by the recently established Caribbean Community (CARICOM) embassy in Kenya, both serving as a bridge between Africa and the Caribbean.

Ambassador Adejola said it was an honour for him to be associated with “our people” in the Caribbean, emphasising that he was genuinely committed to building a lifelong partnership between Nigeria and the countries of the Eastern Caribbean. Lagos is six hours by air from the Eastern Caribbean. With such a short distance, the Ambassador believes there are real possibilities to build genuine ties of tourism and trade that can bring meaningful benefits to both regions. Ambassador Adejola mentioned the recently-concluded Summit of the African Union (AU) in Addis Ababa, supporting the decision of the AU to recognise the African Diaspora as a new sixth region. 

In elaborating on the potential for tourism and trade between Nigeria and the Eastern Caribbean, Ambassador Murdoch mentioned initiatives such as the recent air services agreement between Antigua and Barbuda and Nigeria; the inaugural flight of the airline Air Peace from Nigeria to the Caribbean; and the business initiatives pursuing oil sales from Nigeria to the region. Both Ambassadors agreed to build on the foundations that are already laid. 

 The Nigerian Ambassador undertook to initiate a roundtable group of like-minded people drawn from the African and Caribbean missions located in Geneva to further develop the concepts expressed during the meeting which are intended to deepen relations between Nigeria, Africa, and the OECS. 

Both ambassadors reiterated their commitment to substantially advancing the relationship between Nigeria and the OECS from their platform in Geneva.