Israel Foreign Minister Golda Meir conferred here today with Dr. Namdi Azikiwe, Premier of the Eastern region of Nigeria, as she began her five-day visit to this country, the most populous on the African continent. She is also scheduled to confer later in the week with the Premier of the Western region and the Federal Premier.
One of the purposes of Mrs. Meir’s visit is to offer the Nigerian nation, scheduled to receive its independence from Britain in 1960, and any technical, development and trade assistance it desires which Israel is able to furnish. She will also continue a discussion on trade begun several months ago when Chief Akran, Minister for Economic Planning, visited Israel on a study tour.
Her official residence during her stay in Nigeria is that of the Governor General, Sir James Robertson. In addition to the official functions at which she will be the guest of honor in this city and in the regional capitals of Enugu and Abadan, Mrs. Meir will be honored at a reception given for her by the small local Jewish community.
The Israeli Foreign Minister came here from Abidjan, capital of the French Ivory Coast, where she participated in ceremonies opening the newest and largest bridge in the colony. At a dinner in her honor there, she met African leaders of all of French West Africa, who were eager to hear of Israel’s economic and developmental achievements. By their questions, the Africans indicated an interest in Israel’s assistance with the development of agricultural cooperatives.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
