Nigeria, Canada Move to Deepen Trade Ties as Musawa Leads Delegation to Toronto

Nigeria is seeking to widen its economic relationship with Canada by putting trade, investment and the creative economy at the centre of a high-level engagement in Toronto, with Minister of Arts, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy Hannatu Musawa expected to lead a Nigerian delegation.

Musawa spoke about the importance of the relationship at a gathering in Lagos organized by the Headies and hosted by the Deputy High Commission of Canada, ahead of the planned Toronto engagement. She said taking the Headies to Canada under the theme “Africa to the World” was about more than staging a Nigerian music awards ceremony abroad, arguing that it also offered a platform to present the country’s culture, talent, entrepreneurs and wider economic potential to an international audience.

The Toronto programme is expected to combine the creative economy with business and investment conversations. The Headies has scheduled a Trade & Investment Summit and a Creative Summit for October 22, ahead of the 18th Headies ceremony. The awards, also themed “Africa to the World”, are scheduled for Toronto later that week.

For Nigeria, the timing comes as both countries are already taking steps to make their commercial relationship more practical. Canada and Nigeria expanded their air transport agreement earlier this month, opening the way for direct scheduled passenger and cargo services between the two countries for the first time. The agreement provides for multiple designated airlines and allows up to 14 weekly passenger flights and 10 weekly cargo flights for each country. Canadian officials described the move as part of efforts to strengthen trade, investment and connectivity with Nigeria.

The aviation agreement could prove particularly important for trade because distance and logistics have long been part of the challenge facing businesses trying to operate across the Nigeria-Canada corridor. More direct air connectivity could make it easier to move people, high-value goods and time-sensitive products, while also supporting tourism, education and business travel.

The two countries already have a sizeable commercial relationship. According to the Canadian government, bilateral merchandise trade totalled C$2.9 billion in 2024, making Nigeria Canada's second-largest trading partner in Africa that year. Canadian exports to Nigeria included cereals, motor vehicles and parts and industrial machinery, while Nigerian exports to Canada were dominated by petroleum oils, cocoa and soya beans.

Investment is another area both governments want to expand. Canadian direct investment in Nigeria stood at C$32 million in 2024, up 68.4 per cent from the previous year, while Canadian portfolio investment reached C$590 million. Ottawa has also identified opportunities in sectors ranging from clean energy and infrastructure to agriculture and technology.

The latest push also follows broader diplomatic efforts. During a May meeting in Abuja between Foreign Affairs Minister Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu and Canadian Secretary of State for International Development Randeep Sarai, both sides discussed expanding cooperation in trade and investment, renewable energy, education, technology, agriculture, mining and infrastructure. Canada also highlighted a Canada-Africa business conference in Lagos as an avenue for connecting businesses and investors from both countries.

There has been a parallel effort to draw Nigerian diaspora capital into the country's investment plans. Earlier this month, President Bola Tinubu approved a federal delegation led by Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila for the Nigeria Diaspora Investment Economic Conference in Toronto. The delegation included several governors and federal ministers, including Industry, Trade and Investment Minister Jumoke Oduwole. The conference was designed to attract investment, strengthen economic links and connect diaspora investors with opportunities in Nigeria.

That wider engagement is important because the Canada-Nigeria relationship is no longer limited to traditional commodities and government-to-government diplomacy. Nigeria's large diaspora population in Canada, the growing international profile of Afrobeats and other creative industries, and Canada's search for diversified international commercial partnerships create opportunities for a broader economic corridor.

But turning that potential into measurable trade will require more than high-level summits and cultural showcases. Businesses still need predictable regulation, efficient customs processes, easier market access, reliable logistics and stronger mechanisms for matching Nigerian exporters with Canadian buyers. Previous Nigeria-Canada trade initiatives have already identified regulatory coordination and market-access barriers as areas requiring attention.

The significance of Musawa's Toronto mission, therefore, lies in whether Nigeria can use the visibility of its creative industries as an entry point into a much larger commercial conversation. If music, culture and tourism can help open doors to investment in technology, agriculture, infrastructure, energy and consumer markets, the relationship with Canada could evolve from a friendly bilateral partnership into a more diversified trade corridor, one where Nigeria exports not only commodities and talent, but also brands, services, capital and ideas.