Nigerian enterprises wish to boost trade cooperation with Vietnam as the country has become Nigeria ’s leading market in Southeast Asia .

President of the Nigerian Chamber of Commerce Oye Akinsemoyin said this at a meeting of businesses of the two countries in Hanoi on April 16, adding that the African country wants to boost cooperation with Vietnam in agriculture, small industry, post and telecom, and pharmaceutical manufacture.

Firstly, the Nigerian side wants Vietnamese enterprises to accelerate exports of rice and pharmaceuticals.

Addressing the meeting, a representative from the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade said that Vietnam considers Nigeria a market with great potential for expansion in Africa and a gateway for Vietnam to enter nearby countries in Western and Central Africa .

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, bilateral trade relations between the two countries have seen consecutive development in the recent past, but have not matched the potential of the two countries. In 2009, two-way trade between Vietnam and Nigeria was over 100 million USD with Vietnam recording a trade surplus.

Vietnam exports electrical and electronic appliances, footwear, garments and textiles and fine arts and handicrafts to Nigerian and imports raw cashew nuts, fruits, cotton and minerals.

The meeting is part of activities for the Vietnam Expo 2010. Nigeria sent 17 enterprises to the expo./.