Lagos, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- CANADA and Nigeria are working towards launching direct commercial flights as both countries seek to deepen cooperation in aviation, trade, investment, education and innovation, Canada’s Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Carlos Rojas-Arbulú, has said.
Speaking at the Leading Africa’s Future: Business, Purpose, and the Canada-Nigeria Partnership event held at Lagos Business School, Rojas-Arbulú said discussions are underway to establish direct air links, building on the existing bilateral codeshare air transport agreement between the two countries.
He noted that improved air connectivity remains a key component of broader efforts to strengthen bilateral relations.
“Canada and Nigeria have advanced a bilateral air transport relationship through a codeshare arrangement. But the possibility of direct flights remains under consideration. I think it’s fair to say that we’re working towards that,” he said.
Expressing optimism, the envoy added: “I myself would like to have the ability to take a flight from Lagos directly to Toronto rather than have to go through a third location. Let’s cross our fingers that this is coming.”
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Rojas-Arbulú described Nigeria as one of Canada’s most important strategic partners in Africa, citing its vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem, growing innovation landscape and increasing global influence.
He said Nigeria’s emergence as a hub for technology startups and its globally recognised creative industry present significant opportunities for collaboration in artificial intelligence, mining, financial services, education, trade and the creative economy.
According to him, both countries possess the institutions, talent and mutual trust needed to expand cooperation across multiple sectors.
The Deputy High Commissioner highlighted the growing commercial relationship between both countries, noting that bilateral trade reached $3.2 billion in 2025, representing a 10 per cent increase from the previous year.
The figure was also confirmed by the Dean of Lagos Business School, Prof. Olayinka David-West, during her welcome address.
Rojas-Arbulú said the increase signals what he described as “an exciting new chapter” in Canada-Nigeria relations.
He also revealed that more than 45,000 Nigerian students study in Canadian institutions annually, while over 120,000 Nigerians now reside in Canada, strengthening people-to-people, educational and business ties.
Beyond trade, Rojas-Arbulú said Canada has invested more than $345 million in bilateral development assistance to Nigeria over the past five years, supporting healthcare, food security, climate resilience, humanitarian response, youth empowerment and women’s economic inclusion.
He added that Canada recently announced an additional $30 million to support many of those priority sectors.
According to him, FinDev Canada has also provided a $100 million financing facility to the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) for sustainable infrastructure projects across sub-Saharan Africa.
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In addition, the development finance institution committed $40 million to Stanbic IBTC Bank to expand sustainable finance and improve access to funding for businesses, particularly women-owned and women-led enterprises.
The push for direct flights comes amid expanding trade between both countries.
According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Canada ranked as Nigeria’s ninth-largest trading partner in the first quarter of 2026.
Bilateral trade stood at N775.40 billion during the period, with Nigeria exporting goods worth N670.29 billion and importing N105.11 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of N565.17 billion.
Nigeria’s major exports to Canada included cocoa beans and soya beans, while imports consisted mainly of durum wheat, motorcycles and used vehicles.
The strengthening trade and investment relationship is expected to further support ongoing efforts to establish direct commercial flights between both countries.
