The Regional Trade Institute (RTI) has said it plans to deepen economic cooperation between Nigeria and Central Europe through strategic partnerships and knowledge exchange.

The Vice-President of the Nigeria–Central Europe Chamber of Commerce (NCECC), Prof. Jan Zahorik, said this at the 2026 open day and international news conference on Saturday in Abuja.

The event was organised by RTI in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment, and NCECC.

Mr Zahorik, a foremost Africanist and RTI director for Africa-Europe partnership, said the aim was to promote mutually beneficial partnerships by connecting Nigerian stakeholders with Central European industry leaders, innovators, and investors.

According to him, such partnerships will serve as knowledge-sharing platforms, enabling the exchange of expertise, best practices, and technological advancements across critical sectors of the economy.

He said such partnerships underscored shared commitment to deepening multilateral cooperation and unlocking new opportunities for trade and investment.

“It also positions Nigeria as a strategic gateway for Central European investments in Africa, ” he said.

He said this was the second meeting in Nigeria to promote Czech business; the Czech companies believe they have a lot to offer the Nigerian market.

He said: “We have companies representing several sectors of the economy, such as healthcare, education, oil and gas, food and gastronomy, and many others.

“Basically, the mission and vision of our activities under the umbrella of NCECC or RTI is to connect Czech companies with Nigerian partners in terms of import-export or services of all kinds.

“Such include educational training and transfer of knowledge, and investments, we see this as a continuation of long-lasting relations between former Czechoslovakia or now the Czech Republic and Africa.”

He added that Nigeria was a particularly important market in Africa, with not less than 230 million inhabitants.

He revealed that the partnerships focused on Czech technologies, products, and innovative solutions, as well as business and investment opportunities across key economic sectors.

According to him, these include the food, beverage, and glass industries, defence and security, education, science, research, and training, oil/gas, energy, and the health sector.

Prof. Martin Melichar, the Vice-Dean, International Cooperation, University of West Bohemia, described Nigeria as the main economy and basically a superpower in West Africa, saying it was the gateway to the sub-region.

Mr Melichar, also MD/CEO of Melichar/Partners, disclosed that Nigeria remains the main focus for business deals, saying the Institute would help to expand Czech educational businesses in Nigeria.

“We are open to promoting the Czech education business partnership in Francophone Africa and in places like Benin, Togo, Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon and so on and so forth.

“Our main target for this moment is Nigeria, because if Nigeria works, then we do believe that we may succeed with other markets as well, ” Mr Melichar said.

On his part, Tomas Turecek, the Managing Director of BTL Healthcare Technologies, said that although the Czech Republic was a hub of technology, countries in Central Europe had yet to harness opportunities to deepen cooperation with Africa.

Mr Turecek said, “We are keeping quiet, we are not aggressive, we are shy, so we started bringing technologies like the company VAE Controls.

“They are active Czech companies in the oil/gas sector in Nigeria. For 11 years, they brought new technology, which we are using in Europe, and we are transforming such technology to not only in Nigeria, Africa, but the entire world.”

Meanwhile, Richard Eze, the Assistant to the NCECC Vice-President in Nigeria, said the RTI was dedicated to boosting and strengthening economic ties with Czech industries in Nigeria.

“We have a lot of companies and consumers across medical healthcare and oil and gas. I believe the Nigerian market is a virgin one where every business can thrive.

“Our reasons for initiating RTI Open-Day are to introduce these technologies and businesses to the Nigerian market, have investors partner with us and bring this into the Nigerian spotlight,” Mr Eze said. 

(NAN)