PM arrives in Nigeria; to re-invigorate ties

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday arrived in Nigerian capital Abuja on the first leg of his two-nation visit to Africa.

Before embarking on the five-day visit, Dr Singh said his journey to Nigeria signifies India's desire to 're-invigorate its ties with not only our friend and brother' Nigeria but the entire African continent.

"As developing countries with a similar historic experience, we face common challenges of nation building," he said in a pre-departure statement in New Delhi.

Noting that India's ties with Nigeria are 'historic and broad-ranging,' the prime minister said the relationship is 'marked by convergence of interests and reflects our mutual commitment to South-South cooperation.'

Highlighting the importance of his visit to Nigeria, he said the country plays a leadership role in West Africa and within the 53-nation African Union, besides being an active member of Commonwealth, NAM, G-77 and the UN.

"There is much that India and Africa have to do together for the betterment of our peoples," Dr Singh said.         

In Nigeria, he will be addressing a joint session of National Assembly, which, Dr Singh said was a 'great honour to India.'

The West African nation has a vibrant Indian community, which contributes to its socio-economic development.

After his two-day stay in Nigeria, Dr Singh will travel to South Africa, where he will attend the second India-Brazil-South Africa Summit that will seek to come up with some concrete proposals to strengthen the trilateral cooperation.

"The IBSA process has matured over time. It symbolizes coming together of like-minded countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America for the good of humankind," Dr Singh said about the trilateral forum that now covers a wide range of activities.

He said, "The Summit has a rich agenda and I, along with leaders of Brazil and South Africa, hope to review substantial progress that has been made in expanding our trilateral cooperation.

"I expect the Summit to lead to concrete outcomes on both global and trilateral issues," the prime minister said.

He will also have bilateral meetings with South African President Thabo Mbeki and Brazilian President Lula da Silva.

"India enjoys close and warm relations with South Africa and Brazil, which I will seek to further strengthen," he said.