Türkiye and Nigeria have signed a new mining cooperation agreement aimed at deepening bilateral ties in energy and natural resources.

The agreement was signed in Istanbul on Thursday during the 2nd Istanbul Natural Resources Summit (INRES 2026) by Türkiye's Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Alparslan Bayraktar, and Nigeria's Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Oladele Henry Alake.

The two ministers met on the sidelines of the summit to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation in the mining sector and expand collaboration between the two countries.

Following the meeting, they signed the "Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the Field of Mining between the Government of the Republic of Türkiye and the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria."

'More functional cooperation'

In a statement shared on social media, Bayraktar described the agreement as an important step toward making cooperation between the two countries "more functional and more results-oriented."

"As part of the 2nd Istanbul Natural Resources Summit, we have taken an important step that will make our cooperation with Nigeria in mining more functional and more results-oriented," Bayraktar said. "We believe we will take our partnership with Nigeria in the fields of energy and natural resources much further with a win-win approach."

According to the Turkish minister, the two sides reviewed a roadmap designed to transform the existing potential between Türkiye and Nigeria into concrete outcomes.

He also noted that the memorandum updates a previous mining cooperation agreement the two nations signed in 2021.

Strengthening ties

The renewed framework is expected to deepen strategic cooperation in mineral exploration, geological research, laboratory studies, mineral processing technologies, and data sharing.

The agreement also includes provisions for knowledge and technology transfer, the promotion of mining investments, and the development of human resource capacity.

The senior government officials said the partnership will additionally focus on safe mining practices, joint project development, and cooperation opportunities in small-scale mining activities.

The agreement strengthens economic and strategic ties between Türkiye and Nigeria as both countries seek to expand collaboration in the energy and natural resources sectors.