President Bola Tinubu has welcomed new investment initiatives from the Qatari government, especially in the agricultural and food security sectors, as part of growing bilateral cooperation between the two nations.
During a meeting at the State House in Abuja, Tinubu received Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi, Qatar’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, who delivered a message from the Amir of Qatar affirming the Gulf nation’s desire to deepen economic and strategic ties with Nigeria.
“We are grateful to God for what we have experienced as partners in progress,” Tinubu said. “The Ambassador knows that I take Qatar very seriously. We are willing to go further in our bilateral relations.”
Al-Khulaifi announced that a high-level business delegation from Qatar will visit Nigeria soon to explore investment opportunities in agriculture, food security, and petrochemicals.
“We are proud of the level of relations we have reached with Nigeria,” he said. “We have much to do together in agriculture, food, and petrochemicals.”
President Tinubu also reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to implementing bilateral agreements reached during his 2024 state visit to Qatar.
He directed key ministers—Budget and Economic Planning, Information, and Foreign Affairs—to coordinate timely execution of those agreements.
Tinubu praised Qatar’s global peace efforts and development model, noting, “Like you, we are sandwiched between the challenge of terrorism and helping our neighbours. We are conscious of who is our friend and those helping us to ameliorate the problems.”
On economic reforms, Tinubu stressed Nigeria’s commitment to investor-friendly policies: “Our reforms have been hard. I made tough decisions so that we could grow. You can’t find a better partner than Nigeria.”
Al-Khulaifi echoed the Amir’s wish for Nigeria to become a strategic African partner, stating, “The message I have from His Highness, Amir of Qatar, is that he wants Nigeria to be a strategic partner in Africa.”
