Nigeria Leads West Africa Delegation, Boosts Trade Ties With Malaysia

Nigeria leads West Africa region to make a significant impact at the Malaysia International Halal Showcase (MIHAS) 2025, organised by the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE), with 25 buyers from the region participating in the event.

Notably, eight buyers are from Nigeria, alongside buyers from Senegal, Mali, and Ghana. The West African delegation reflects a diverse mix of companies, ranging from dynamic small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to some of the region’s largest supermarket chains.

Their presence underscores Nigeria’s aspiration to become a Halal hub for West Africa, driven by the growing demand for halal products and services in Nigeria, as well as across West Africa. It also highlights MIHAS 2025 as a leading global platform for international sourcing and business partnerships in the Halal sector.

The International Sourcing Programme (INSP) in conjunction with MIHAS 2025, which was concluded on September 17, 2025, had facilitated more than 4,000 one-to-one business meetings, matching the 300 international buyers from 50 countries, with 600 Malaysian exporters. The generated sales from the one-to-one business meetings alone are estimated at RM2.5 billion ($585.6 million).

The high commissioner of Malaysia to Nigeria, Aiyub Omar expressed his happiness to see the significant keen interest of halal industry players in Nigeria that will pave the way for a much faster development of Halal ecosystem in Nigeria in few years ahead.

He mentioned that he had met a representative from the Presidency in August 2025 to discuss further on halal collaboration between Malaysia and Nigeria after the completion of Nigeria’s halal road map which is still being finalised. The development reflects growing global confidence in Malaysia’s halal leadership.

“For Nigerian buyers in particular, their presence underscores a deeper strategic alignment, with Nigeria also playing a pivotal role in shaping the regional and global halal economy,” he stated.

First Secretary (Trade) of the High Commission, Mr. Jude Bryan stated that the Nigerian buyers’ strong interest signals a clear avenue for enhanced collaboration, paving the way for meaningful partnerships in the halal sector.

Malaysia’s total trade with Nigeria in 2024 surged by 58.7 per cent, reaching $1.52 billion compared to $956.76 million in the previous year. Exports from Malaysia to Nigeria grew by 5.8 per cent to $550.08 million, while imports from Nigeria recorded a sharp increase of 121.7 per cent over the same period.

For the period of January to August 2025, total trade between Malaysia and Nigeria contracted by 8.7 per cent to $883.82 million. Malaysia’s exports to Nigeria over the period grew by 19.9 per cent to $413.24 million. Malaysia’s top merchandise exports to Nigeria over the period were Palm Oil & Palm Oil Based Agriculture Products, Processed Food, Machinery, Equipment & Parts, Printed Manufactures and Manufactures of Metal.