According to Moshen Antit, the ambassador of the Republic of Tunisia to Nigeria, direct flights between Tunisia and Nigeria are expected to start in 2026 in an effort to improve bilateral relations between the two countries.
He made this statement on Wednesday in Abuja during a news conference with media.
Tunisia and Nigeria
Improved air connectivity is anticipated to make travel easier for both business travelers and tourists, thereby bolstering diplomatic and commercial ties, he continued. Direct flights, he added, are essential for promoting tighter business, political, and cultural exchanges.
“Morocco, Ethiopia, and Egypt are the only three African countries that ensure air links between their capital and Nigeria,” Mohsen stated, referring to the non-African airlines that typically conduct flights between Nigeria and Tunisia. He states that the initiative’s goals are to increase accessibility and promote closer cultural and economic relations between the two countries. The plan is still in the planning stages, he says, because both nations are dedicated to collaborating to make sure it is implemented successfully.
“So, we’re in North Africa and you’re in the West, but it’s not too far because we have to take two flights today to get to Tunisia,” he remarked. That’s why it’s so conflicting. This has to altered because it is quite conflicting. To make our affairs and relationship more successful, we are, of course, working on an aircraft between Tunisia and Nigeria. Thus, I discussed the same issue with President Tinubu when I saw him in April 2024, and we both came to the conclusion that a flight is necessary to bring the two peoples closer together.
It is expected to go into force in 2026, but we must work hard to ensure that Nigeria is included in this project with Tunisia. Nigeria will not be the only country included to the network of flights, he said; rather, we must cooperate to make it a reality.
The ambassador from Tunisia also emphasized the value of cross-sector collaboration and cultural exchanges. According to Moshen, a group of over twenty businesspeople will travel to Abuja, Nigeria, to organize a multisectoral economic forum. This initiative is part of the two nations’ desire to improve their bilateral ties in the areas of investment and economics.
“The delegation from Tunisia that will be attending the forum is unprecedented in both its scope and kind,” he declared. They are traveling from Tunisia to Nigeria because Tunisia wishes to strengthen its ties with the Western African nations. This is an important region, after all, and Nigeria is creating what we would consider to be the largest, richest, and most developed economy in Africa. Naturally, this is a result of the region’s human potential, as well as its substantial economic potential, welcoming investment climate, and ability to draw businesspeople to our nation from Tunisia or Nigeria and vice versa. This event will also be a chance to break away from the virtual relationships that the modern world of affairs, industry, and investment were accustomed to, as it is the first of its kind to bring together a mixture and assembly of businessmen from Nigeria and Tunisia, meeting together in the same location, in the accreditation country, Nigeria.
Naturally, dealing with businesspeople in both countries face-to-face is preferable these days. Setting up business-to-business meetings allows them to discuss weighted intake from one country and output from the other, which is a major factor in boosting investment between the two friendly nations. The two components have incredibly great potential. Today, Nigerians and Tunisians are certain that they would complement one another in a spirit of fraternity and shared good faith throughout a wide range of economic sectors and fields. Thus, as far as Tunisia and Nigeria are concerned, this is, of course, the broad foundation of their relationship or of international relations;” Moshen stated.
