The Delegation is a full diplomatic mission representing the European Union in Nigeria, with concurrent accreditation to the regional body, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), with headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria.
The Delegation's mandate includes the following:
- To actively promote the values and policies of the European Union in an open and equal partnership with the Government and people of Nigeria.
- To deepen the political dialogue on all issues of mutual interest and to strengthen the partnership both with Nigeria and ECOWAS.
- To implement the EU Common Foreign and Security Policy, the development and trade policies focusing on poverty alleviation and on the promotion of democracy, Human Rights, and the Rule of Law as well as the smooth and gradual integration of developing countries into the world economy.
- To inform Nigeria and ECOWAS about the policies and programmes of the European Union, as well as its institutions and values.
- To support regional integration in the Economic Community of West African States as well as the planned development of Pan-African policies, programmes, and institutions.
The Head of Delegation provides the lead in the regular political dialogue with Nigerian authorities; oversees the implementation of development aids and negotiates trade deals. The Delegation is organised under seven functional teams or sections, namely:
- Politics, Press & Information (PPI) Section, which oversees political engagement with Nigeria and the ECOWAS Commission, including the regular political dialogues, and also provides the lead in information and communication activities.
- Trade and Economics (T&E) Section, which takes the lead in trade and economic relations, including investments issues and trade negotiations.
- Finance and Contract (F&C) Section, which oversees the financial and contractual aspects of Delegation development cooperation activities.
The Operations (Ops) side of the Delegation oversees development cooperation activities, identified and implemented in close coordination with the Nigeria authorities and the ECOWAS Commission.
Based on thematic functions, operation activities fall into four categories, carried out by separate teams. These are:
- Ops 1 - Green and Digital Economy Section.
- Ops 2 - Democracy, Governance, and Migration Section.
- Ops 3 – Human Development Section.
- Ops 4 – Regional Cooperation Section, which oversees engagements with ECOWAS.