Participants of Nigeria’s NDC Course 33 on study visit to Croatia

The participants of Course 33 from Nigeria’s National Defence College (NDC) selected Croatia for a study visit from May 18 to 24, 2025, as part of their curriculum module titled “International Relations and Food Security.”
 
Established in 1992 in Abuja, the NDC is Nigeria’s leading institution for training future leaders in both the military and civil sectors. The delegation included senior officers of the Nigerian Armed Forces and Police, high-ranking government officials, and military representatives from friendly African nations.
 
During their stay in Croatia, the participants engaged in a series of visits and meetings to gain insight into Croatia’s foreign policy, security, and economic systems - with special focus on the food industry and its role in national development and resilience, a topic of particular importance for Nigeria’s economic transformation.
 
On May 19, the delegation was received at the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs by Sebastian Rogač, Director-General for Multilateral and Global Affairs. The meeting provided an overview of Croatia’s foreign and security policy and explored opportunities to further strengthen bilateral relations, with emphasis on regional stability and economic cooperation - especially in the food sector. Rogač highlighted Nigeria’s key role within the West African regional organization ECOWAS and expressed Croatia’s readiness to deepen collaboration on security and development issues, drawing from Croatia’s experience in its defensive war and post-war reconstruction. The participation of Nigerian forces in the UNPROFOR peacekeeping mission was also mentioned as a historical link between the two countries.
 
The NDC delegation also visited the Ministry of Defence, the “Dr. Franjo Tuđman” Croatian Defence Academy, the Ministry of the Interior, the Croatian Parliament, the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Zagreb, and the Homeland War Museum in Karlovac - Turanj. Meetings were held with the leadership of the Croatian Chamber of Agriculture and visits were made to companies of particular interest to the NDC, opening up further opportunities for future cooperation and partnership.
 
This visit represents an important step in strengthening relations between Croatia and Nigeria and confirms the shared interest in further developing political, security, and economic cooperation.

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