By Bayo Onanuga

 

President Bola Tinubu has welcomed new initiatives by Qatari investors to explore opportunities in the agricultural sector and assured that Nigeria remains open to strategic partnerships.

The President gave the assurance on Friday at the State House while receiving Dr Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi, a special envoy from the Amir of the State of Qatar.

 

Dr Al-Khulaifi, Qatar’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, conveyed Amir’s strong interest in expanding bilateral cooperation, announcing that a high-level Qatari business delegation will visit Nigeria in the coming weeks to explore opportunities in agriculture, food security, and other critical sectors.

President Tinubu emphasised Nigeria’s readiness to build on the momentum generated by his state visit to Qatar in 2024, pledging to implement all bilateral agreements between the two countries. He directed the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu; the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris; and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, to work together to ensure the timely execution of these agreements.

 

“To all the members of the delegation, I want to say a big thank you for coming to Nigeria. We are grateful to God for what we have experienced as partners in progress. I am also glad that the Amir of Qatar greatly remembers the issues discussed during my visit last year.

 

“Let me commend the brotherly relations between Qatar and Nigeria. The Ambassador knows that I take Qatar very seriously. We are willing to go further in our bilateral relations,” he said.

 

The President said the Qatari government had demonstrated maturity and foresight in working for global peace and deserves commendation.

“I am proud of your efforts to bring peace and stability to the world. I see your efforts in human development, peace and prosperity. 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”, he said.

 

President Tinubu also noted ongoing reforms to streamline Nigeria’s tax system, making it easier for foreign investors to do business in the country.

 

“We are making efforts to reform our tax system. Going by experiences of the past and the need to depart from old ways, our reforms have been hard. I made tough decisions so that we could grow. We are gradually seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

 

“You can’t find a better partner than Nigeria. I always follow the global issues and your efforts. You have to do more in Nigeria to help fight poverty in the humanitarian area. You have done well in developing a knowledge-based economy in Qatar, but what about Nigeria?”

 

The President said Nigeria’s partnership with Qatar can be improved by looking into food sovereignty and economic prosperity.

 

“We are doing well as much as we can as the leader in Africa. We want to continue to promote good relations with you. We are ready to do whatever we can do from here. We subscribe to peace efforts by your government. There can be no development without peace,” he added.

 

Dr. Al-Khulaifi conveyed the Amir’s desire to strengthen the strategic partnership with Nigeria, particularly in peace-building, agriculture, and petrochemicals. He expressed pride in the current level of relations and looked forward to expanding both government-to-government and people-to-people ties.

 

“We are proud of the level of relations we have reached with Nigeria. I am very impressed with our partnership with the country, which is not just government to government but also people to people.

 

“Our Ambassador has been following up with the projects. We have much to do together in agriculture, food, and petrochemicals. We have some companies telling us that we should create a way for them to come into Nigeria,” he said.

 

Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi, whose responsibilities include mediating peace in Africa and the Middle East, said some Qatari companies will visit Nigeria to discuss investment opportunities in agriculture.

 

“The message I have from His Highness, Amir of Qatar, is that he wants Nigeria to be a strategic partner in Africa,” he added.