Tuggar: Africa’s Trade Marginalisation Threatening Global Stability

Yusuf Tuggar, minister of foreign affairs, says Africa’s marginal share of global trade is incompatible with the continent’s population size and poses long-term risks to the world’s stability.

Tuggar spoke on Wednesday at the 2026 annual conference of ambassadors in Spain, convened under the theme “Good neighbourliness: Building bridges or building walls”.

He said Africa’s continued role as a supplier of raw materials while importing manufactured goods entrenches underdevelopment and deepens economic pressure across the continent.

According to a statement issued Thursday by Alkasim Abdulkadir, Tuggar’s special assistant on media, the minister said such imbalances are not confined to Africa but ultimately spill across borders, fuelling instability that affects Europe and other regions.

Tuggar described Europe and Africa as parts of a single geopolitical space whose futures remain closely linked by geography, history and economic interdependence.

He urged European countries to prioritise partnerships that support industrialisation, value-chain development and fairer trade access for African economies, noting that sustainable growth on the continent would benefit both regions.

Tuggar also cautioned against migration policies driven by fear.

While he reaffirmed Nigeria’s opposition to irregular migration, the minister warned that the weaponisation of anti-migrant sentiment and the securitisation of labour mobility had produced destabilising consequences in the Sahel.

Tuggar cited joint initiatives on migration management, police training, and the fight against human trafficking and smuggling as laudable examples of Nigeria–Spain cooperation.