By Pascal Ibe

Condemnation continues to trail a $150bn Samoa trade deal signed by the Federal Government of Nigeria with the European Union.

Many Nigerians said it’s a signing of of a same-sex agreement to collect a $150bn loan.


Few days ago, some Nigeria news organizations reported that the agreement reportedly has some clauses that compel underdeveloped and developing nations to support the agitations by the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community for recognition, as a condition for getting financial and other support from advanced societies.

Last November, the European Union, its 27 member states and 79 member states of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) signed an agreement in Apia, the capital of the Pacific island country of Samoa. Hence, it was referred to as the ‘Samoa Agreement’.

Here Is What The Deal Is All About

The Samoa agreement is the overarching framework for EU relations with African, Caribbean and Pacific countries.

The new partnership agreement will serve as the new legal framework for EU relations with 79 countries. This includes 48 African, 16 Caribbean and 15 Pacific countries.

Around 2 billion people are covered by the agreement.

The agreement aims to strengthen the capacity of the EU and the ACP countries to address global challenges together.

It lays down common principles and covers the following six priority areas:

•Democracy and human rights

•Sustainable economic growth and development
•Climate change
•Human and social development

•Peace and security
•Migration and mobility.

The agreement includes a common foundation at ACP level combined with three regional protocols for Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific with a focus on the regions’ specific needs.

On 20 July 2023, the Council greenlighted the signature and provisional application of the partnership agreement, as the new legal framework for the next twenty years, succeeding the Cotonou agreement.

The new agreement was officially signed on 15 November 2023 by the EU and its members states and OACPS members in Samoa. Its provisional application starts on the first day of the second month after the signature.

The ACP-EU partnership is one of the oldest and most comprehensive frameworks for cooperation between the EU and third countries.

The previous legal framework for the partnership, the Cotonou Agreement, was signed in 2000.

The post-Cotonou negotiations started in September 2018 in the margins of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, with the aim to agree on a new, modernised treaty to succeed the Cotonou Agreement. The chief negotiators initialled the new Agreement in April 2021.

Controversial Articles In Samoa Agreement

The agreement doesn’t specifically mention same-sex relationships. However, Article 9 of the document stipulates that participating countries must commit to promoting universal respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, without any form of discrimination. This includes discrimination based on sex, ethnicity, social origin, religion, belief, political opinion, disability, age, or other status

Article 9:
2, “The Parties shall commit to the promotion of universal respect for, and observance of,
human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, without discrimination based on any ground
including sex, ethnic or social origin, religion or belief, political or any other opinion, disability,
age, or other status. They commit to fighting all forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia
and related intolerance, and all forms of violence and discrimination, including all instances of advocacy of hatred. They commit to the recognition and advancement of the rights of indigenous
peoples, as set out in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRI

Article 2
5 “The Parties shall systematically promote a gender perspective and ensure that gender
equality is mainstreamed across all policies.

Article 29: 5 “The Parties shall support universal access to sexual and reproductive health commodities and healthcare services, including for family planning, information and education, and the
integration of reproductive health into national strategies and programmes.

Article 36.2: “The Parties commit to the full and effective implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action 9 and the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development 10 and the outcomes of their review conferences and commit to sexual and reproductive health and rights, in that context.”

Check the full Samoa Agreement Here