Nigeria and Burkina Faso are West African countries whose histories have run in parallel since independence. They do not share a border, since Niger and Benin lie between them, but they belong to the same region and have long worked together within regional organisations.
Independence
Burkina Faso, then called the Republic of Upper Volta, became independent on 5 August 1960. Nigeria became independent on 1 October 1960. Upper Volta took the name Burkina Faso on 4 August 1984.
Founding members of ECOWAS
On 28 May 1975, Nigeria and Upper Volta were among the fifteen West African states that signed the Treaty of Lagos establishing the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). For half a century, the two countries took part in building the community, including the free movement of people and the liberalisation of trade between member states.
Burkina Faso's withdrawal from ECOWAS
The withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger from ECOWAS took effect on 29 January 2025. In a press statement issued the same day, the ECOWAS Commission asked the authorities of member states to continue to recognise national passports and identity cards bearing the ECOWAS logo held by citizens of the three countries, to keep treating their goods and services under the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme, and to allow their citizens to continue to enjoy visa-free movement, residence and establishment, until further notice.
Ministerial visit of December 2025
In December 2025, 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 talks covered political, security and economic cooperation and joint responses to regional security challenges. The two countries resolved amicably a matter involving a Nigerian Air Force C-130 aircraft and its crew, and agreed to sustain regular consultations and pursue practical measures to deepen bilateral cooperation and promote regional integration.
A new Ambassador in Ouagadougou
In August 2026, Ambassador Syndoph Endoni presented his Letter of Credence in Ouagadougou and took up his duties as Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to Burkina Faso.
The current state of the relationship and the areas in which the two countries work together are described on the Bilateral relations page.