Nigeria and Burkina Faso are West African nations bound by history, geography and the movement of their peoples. The Nigerian Government describes the relationship as one of fraternity, good neighbourliness and sustained engagement. The Embassy in Ouagadougou is the permanent channel between the two governments.
A shared regional history
Both countries became independent in 1960: Upper Volta, as Burkina Faso was then called, on 5 August, and Nigeria on 1 October. On 28 May 1975, they were among the fifteen states that signed the Treaty of Lagos establishing the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and for half a century they worked together to build regional integration in West Africa.
After Burkina Faso's withdrawal from ECOWAS
Burkina Faso's withdrawal from ECOWAS, together with Mali and Niger, took effect on 29 January 2025. To avoid disruption in the lives and businesses of the people of the region, the ECOWAS Commission asked the authorities of member states, until further notice, to:
- recognise national passports and identity cards bearing the ECOWAS logo held by citizens of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger;
- continue to treat goods and services from the three countries under the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme and investment policy;
- allow citizens of the three countries to continue to enjoy visa-free movement, residence and establishment in accordance with the ECOWAS protocols.
These arrangements remain in place until the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government determines the terms of its future engagement with the three countries.
Recent milestones
December 2025: ministerial visit to Ouagadougou
The Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, led a delegation to Ouagadougou carrying a message of solidarity and fraternity from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to President Ibrahim Traoré. The delegation included the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Ambassador Mohammed Mohammed; the Chief of Policy and Plans of the Nigerian Air Force, Air Vice Marshal A. Y. Abdullahi; Nigeria's Permanent Representative to ECOWAS, Ambassador Olawale Emmanuel Awe; and the Chief of Protocol of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Wahab Akande.
The talks covered political, security and economic cooperation and joint responses to regional security challenges. The two governments agreed to sustain regular consultations and to pursue practical measures to deepen bilateral cooperation and promote regional integration.
August 2026: a new Ambassador
Ambassador Syndoph Endoni presented his Letter of Credence in Ouagadougou in August 2026, pledging to work at consolidating the relationship between the two countries in a spirit of brotherhood.
Learn more
- Nigeria — Burkina Faso cooperation: the areas in which the two countries work together.
- Agreements & treaties: the agreements between the two countries.
- History: key dates of the relationship.