Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, has warned that Africa’s marginal share of global trade is incompatible with the continent’s population size and poses long-term risks to global stability. He spoke at the 2026 annual conference of ambassadors in Spain, held under the theme “Good neighbourliness: Building bridges or building walls”.
Tuggar said Africa’s continued role as a supplier of raw materials while importing manufactured goods entrenches underdevelopment and deepens economic pressure across the continent. In a statement issued on Thursday by his special assistant on media, Alkasim Abdulkadir, the minister said such trade imbalances ultimately spill across borders, fuelling instability that affects Europe and other regions.
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The foreign minister described Europe and Africa as part of a single geopolitical space linked by geography, history and economic interdependence. He urged European countries to support partnerships that promote industrialisation, value chain development and fairer trade access for African economies, while cautioning against migration policies driven by fear and the securitisation of labour mobility.
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