European Union Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ambassador Gautier Mignot. Image composed by Adesewa Olofinko. Official portrait of Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the President of Nigeria, image by Nosa Asemota, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons, Flag of the European Union, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons, Flag of Nigeria, Image by Henrik Hansen, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, Map showing Nigeria in Africa, image by TUBS, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

With roughly a billion people under the age of 30, Africa sits on the edge of an unprecedented demographic shift. Every year, an estimated 12 million African youths enter the labour market, yet only 3 million formal jobs are created. Within the next five years, Africans will make up half of all new entrants into the global labour force, a figure that could either signal a golden era of innovation and economic dynamism for the continent or a ticking time bomb. However, if current trends persist, Africans are projected to account for 80 percent of those living in poverty globally by 2030 (compared to just 14 percent in 1990).

And nowhere is this tension more potent than in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, with a population of over 230 million people. With a median age of 18.1, Nigeria’s youthful population stands in stark contrast to the European Union, where the average age hovers above 44. As Europe grapples with the challenges of ageing populations, labour shortages, and a low birth rate, Africa’s demographic boom has become not only a humanitarian and developmental priority but also a geopolitical opportunity.

Global Voices caught up with the European Union (EU) Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS (the Economic Community of West African States), Gautier Mignot, to unpack what the renewed EU-Africa alliance means for Nigeria amid a rapidly shifting global order.

Adesewa Olofinko: What are the key areas of partnership between the EU and Nigeria?

Ambassador Gautier Mignot (GM): Nigeria and the EU have an exhaustive relationship and cooperation which cuts across virtually every sector. The EU is Nigeria’s top trading partner and the leading source of foreign investment, and by a wide margin. The partnership covers peace and security, governance, innovation, science, and research. It also includes people-to-people exchanges, academic partnerships, and student mobility programs, all helping to build mutual understanding.

Currently, Nigeria ranks first in Africa and top five in the world for master's scholarships under the Erasmus+ program, enabling students to study in two or more European universities. We also have a new scheme under the Erasmus+ program for intra-African mobility to fund scholarships for students to study in other African countries as well, and European students coming here to study in Africa. These partnerships are key to our shared future.

AO: How does the EU’s Global Gateway strategy translate into tangible benefits for Nigeria?

GM: The Global Gateway is the EU’s new strategic offer to the world that’s focused on driving sustainable development through smart investment. At its core, it’s about using public development assistance to unlock and accelerate private capital. Because to truly meet the Sustainable Development Goals, we must go beyond public funds and tap into the immense potential of private investment.

We’re doing this by working closely with our member states and development finance institutions, like the European Investment Bank and notably, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, which is now extending its mandate to Nigeria for the first time. This strategy combines grants, loans, and guarantees to de-risk investments and bring the private sector to the table. It’s not about charity; it’s about shared growth. In Nigeria, we’re prioritising sectors with high impact potential like the green and digital economies, renewable energy, and health. A good example is our flagship initiative here in Lagos — the OMI-EKO electric water transport project. It’s a model of how the Global Gateway works. 

AO: Nigeria remains the only country in West Africa that has yet to sign the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). Is that conversation still on the table?

GM: Yes, but it’s entirely Nigeria’s sovereign decision. The EPA is a regional agreement that requires the ratification of all partners before it can fully enter into force. So if Nigeria were to sign and ratify it today, that could change everything, but we’re not pushing. We respect that decision. That said, there is a paradox. The EU is Nigeria’s largest trade and investment partner, so we’re aiming to establish mechanisms that allow us to regularly discuss trade barriers, investment disincentives, and joint initiatives to boost economic ties. Even without the EPA in place, Nigeria already has a sizable trade surplus with the EU of more than USD 10 billion annually. Most of its exports are oil and gas products which are already exempt from tariffs, and the EU also remains Nigeria’s leading destination for non-oil exports.

Launched in 2002, the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), is a trade and development deal negotiated between the EU and African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) countries offering duty-free, quota-free access to the EU market, while requiring them to open their markets more slowly in return. All ECOWAS member states and Mauritania have signed on, except Nigeria, which makes up more than half of the region’s economy. Nigeria has held back, citing concerns over local industry protection and potential revenue losses.

Q: How is the EU navigating growing competition in Nigeria and West Africa, especially with concerns around hidden loan terms and debt traps?

GM: We welcome competition but we firmly believe our offer is the best. The EU has the most transparent interests in Nigeria and Africa because as neighbours, everything that happens here, positive or negative, has direct consequences for Europe, and vice versa. So our basic interest is to have a prosperous, stable, democratic and sustainable West Africa and Nigeria. 

We are also very respectful of each country’s sovereignty, especially when it comes to debt. And unlike others, we don’t give conditional aid. All our projects are implemented through open procurement processes by the host country. We’re not flying in foreign workers to do everything. We want the impact to be local, lasting, and aligned with national priorities. That's very different from other partnerships where infrastructures are built by their own companies with their own employees, and the local impact is very limited.

Additionally, we give priority to women and youth, for example, we have a gender action plan where at least 85 percent of all EU projects must incorporate gender equality and empowerment of women.  

AO: With Nigeria’s large and youthful population, migration remains a pressing concern. How is the EU navigating the delicate balance between border control, human rights, and economic partnership?

GM: Our approach is a comprehensive one. First, by protecting migrants and their rights, especially from trafficking and smuggling, and two, managing migration flows. In Europe, we want to decide who comes, not the smugglers. In terms of socio economic impact, migration can be a win-win partnership. Europe has an aging population and we will, in some years, have a decreasing population. So we’ll need some workforce from abroad. But rather than draining talent from countries of origin, the EU is focused on creating legal migration pathways that include proper training and education — not just for international markets, but to meet local needs as well. And with digital technologies today, you don't always need to relocate to work for companies abroad.

In 2023 alone, bilateral trade between the EU and Nigeria reached a staggering EUR 35 billion, making the bloc Nigeria’s single largest trading partner. As political shifts unsettle West Africa, with Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso breaking away from a 50-year-old ECOWAS, Nigeria stands as the EU’s strongest foothold, and perhaps its best bet, in the region’s uncertain future.