Nigeria and Jamaica Set November/December Deadline for Air Services Agreement

After months of negotiations, Nigeria and Jamaica have set a deadline of November or December for the signing of an air services agreement, according to multiple Nigerian news outlets. The agreement, which will facilitate direct flights between the two countries, has been in the works since February this year. The deadline was announced at the 2nd Nigeria-Caribbean Business Forum in Lagos. The forum brought together businesses from Nigeria, Jamaica, and other Caribbean nations to discuss potential investment opportunities. The agreement is expected to boost tourism and trade between the two nations. The Nigerian Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, said the agreement would make it easier for Nigerians to travel to Jamaica for tourism, education, and business purposes. The Jamaican Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett, added that the agreement would also benefit Jamaica’s tourism industry by increasing the number of Nigerian visitors. This is not the first time Nigeria and Jamaica have sought to improve bilateral relations. In 2018, the two countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to cooperate on agriculture, education, and culture. According to the Jamaican Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, the MoU has resulted in several exchange programs and collaborative projects between the two nations.