Presidency Lists 7 Gains Of Tinubu’s Trip To Qatar

President Bola Tinubu recently embarked on a two-day state visit to the country of Qatar between March 2 and 3, 2024.

The presidency on Wednesday, March 6, described the visit as highly fruitful, saying the President is back in Nigeria with a bag of goodies, this time with seven major agreements in important sectors of the economy.

According to an article by presidential media aide, Dada Olusegun, during a meeting on Sunday in Doha, President Bola Tinubu and His Highness, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar, supervised the signing of the historic agreements between both countries.

He added that these agreements created a gateway for both countries to open a vista of mutual cooperation in the pivotal sectors of education, enterprise development, investment promotion, youth empowerment, mining, tourism, and sports.

Olusegun said President Tinubu while talking to his host in Qatar also had his eyes beyond attracting Qatari investments into Nigeria. In finding a useful purpose for Nigeria’s huge talent base and human capacity within and outside Nigeria, the President did not fail to mention the potential of Nigeria’s young population.

“Our greatest strength is our people. Our strength lies in the capacity of Nigerian youths. They have energy, talent, and self-belief. They are quality partners for Qatari industry. They are educated and reliable, and they are proactively seeking to add value wherever they are. A few cannot give a bad name to the many. Nigerian youths are ready to be unleashed for the mutual benefit of both nations,” Tinubu was quoted to have said.

The Emir of the State of Qatar, His Highness, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, emphasized that Qatar is open to President Tinubu’s investment push, recalling that he travelled to Nigeria in 2019 owing to his belief that Nigeria is an important and strategic ally on its own and within the context of its role in regional affairs.

According to the presidency, after bilateral engagements between the two countries and a closed-door session between President Bola Tinubu and the Emir of Qatar, seven bilateral agreements across multiple sectors were signed. These agreements include:

1. Cooperation agreement in the field of education;

2. Regulation of employment of workers with the Government of Qatar;

3. Establishment of a joint business council (JBC) between the Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Agriculture (NACCIMA);

4. A cooperation agreement in the field of youths

5. A cooperation agreement in the field of sports.

6. Cooperation in the field of tourism and business events.

7. Memorandum of understanding combating illicit trade in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.

Further justifying the trip, the presidency submitted that President Tinubu, by embarking on the trip to Qatar, has kick-started the process of potentially unlocking billions of dollars in Qatari investments in some of these sectors of interest.