President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has hailed the signing of a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Nigeria’s BUA Group and UAE-based AD Ports Group and MAIR Group, describing it as a major industrial and trade breakthrough in Nigeria–UAE relations.
The agreement was signed in Abu Dhabi on Monday.
In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu said the MoU represents a tangible outcome of renewed diplomatic engagement between Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates under his administration.
He noted that the partnership follows recent state visits and high-level engagements aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation in trade, investment, infrastructure and food security.
The MoU explores collaboration in sugar refining, agro-industrial development and integrated global logistics solutions. Under the arrangement, sugar refining and advanced logistics infrastructure will be developed in the UAE to enhance value addition, strengthen supply chain resilience and deepen structured trade flows between West Africa and the Gulf region.
According to the President, the agreement signals growing international confidence in Nigeria’s reform agenda and reinforces the country’s commitment to export-led industrialisation.
“Strategic diplomacy must translate into measurable economic gains,” Tinubu said. “This partnership reflects the renewed momentum in Nigeria–UAE relations and our determination to position Nigeria as a competitive industrial and trading nation, while empowering Nigerian businesses to operate confidently on the global stage.”
He also commended the Founder and Executive Chairman of BUA Group, Abdul Samad Rabiu, for his sustained investments across key sectors of the Nigerian economy.
“I must commend Alhaji Abdul Samad Rabiu, who continues to believe and invest in various sectors of the Nigerian economy, and has shown the world that Nigerian companies are capable of competing globally,” the President said.
President Tinubu reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to deepening bilateral economic partnerships that attract investment, expand exports, strengthen Nigerian enterprises and deliver sustainable prosperity for the country.
At the signing ceremony were Kabiru Rabiu, Group Executive Director of BUA Group; Captain Mohammed J. Al Shamisi, Managing Director and Group CEO of AD Ports Group; Saif Al Mazrouei, CEO (Ports Cluster), AD Ports Group; Abdul Samad Rabiu; and Steve Green, Group Chief Financial Officer of MAIR Group.
