Embassy history

In September 1960, Ireland opened a Consulate in Lagos, Nigeria's then capital, headed by the late Consul Aedan O'Beirne. At that time, there were about forty diplomatic missions in Lagos.

Mr. O'Beirne arrived in Nigeria in early September and immediately set about preparing for the visit of Ireland's Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Seán Lemass, who attended Nigeria's independence celebrations in October 1960.

In 1961, the Consulate was upgraded to a full Embassy, Ireland’s first on the African continent, and Ireland's first Ambassador to Nigeria, the late Éamonn Kennedy assumed duties in Lagos on 30 August 1961. The Embassy was relocated to Abuja in 2000 in response to the decision of the Nigerian Government to move the capital from Lagos. For the following 25 years, the Embassy was located in a rented property on Negro Crescent in Maitama wih the Ambassador to Nigeria also being accredited to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Benin, Cote D’Ivoire, Ghana and Togo.

In the mid-2000s, discussions began in relation to the construction of a new Embassy building in Abuja. Following a detailed process and as part of the Government’s Africa Strategy, a decision was made to construct a dedicated Chancery on the European Union Compound on Constitution Avenue.

The architectural firm selected was Scott Tallon Walker from Cork in Ireland and the contractor was Julius Berger.

Team Ireland moved into the new building in May 2025.

The Official Opening of the Embassy was conducted by Minister Jack Chambers on 18 March 2026.

In his remarks Minister Chambers acknowledged the contribution of everyone involved in this important project, the largest ever Irish Government investment on the African Continent.

As part of the Official Opening Ceremony, three trees were planted; the first by Minister Chambers, the second by the family of the late Judas Nimmyel, a recently deceased member of the Embassy staff, in memory of all departed Team Ireland members, and lastly by Most Reverend Archbishop Michael Crotty and Rev Sister Kathleen McGarvey in memory of the departed Irish Missionaries whose legacy lives on in Nigeria today.