Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, has called for a stronger public diplomacy strategy to increase awareness of the work of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Nigeria Technical Aid Corps (NTAC).
He said a well-funded media campaign was essential to reposition Nigeria’s foreign policy under the government’s 4-D foreign policy doctrine of Demography, Democracy, Development and Diaspora.
Mr Enikanolaiye made the call in Abuja during a meeting with the Director-General of NTAC, Dr. Yusuf Yakub, who led the agency’s management team on a courtesy visit.
“We need to create more announcements for Nigerians to know what we are doing in the Ministry and NTAC,” the minister said.
“Nigerians have not been fully aware of the work of TAC and MFA. We must up our game in the media. I know it costs money but we must do it.”
He said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was undergoing comprehensive reforms aimed at improving efficiency and aligning its operations with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
According to him, visibility was now as important as service delivery, and the ministry must communicate its activities more effectively to the public.
The minister also described NTAC as a key instrument of Nigeria’s foreign policy and soft power diplomacy, commending the agency for achieving significant results despite funding constraints.
“We must see ourselves as partners and family,” he said.
Earlier, Mr Yakub said NTAC was established in 1987 to promote South-South cooperation by deploying skilled Nigerian professionals to developing countries across Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific.
He said the agency had deployed more than 10,000 Nigerian professionals to over 40 countries, contributing to education, healthcare, engineering, agriculture and technology development.
Mr Yakub said 274 Nigerian volunteers are currently serving in 13 countries, including The Gambia, Uganda, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Jamaica and St Kitts and Nevis.
He added that the agency was expanding its operations, with discussions at an advanced stage to conclude technical aid agreements with Zambia, Ethiopia, Angola, Trinidad and Tobago, and Barbados.
“The Nigerian Technical Aid Corps remains committed to advancing Nigeria’s foreign policy goals by promoting technical cooperation and sustainable development,” he said.
He also disclosed that Jamaica was in advanced discussions with Nigeria to engage a larger number of Nigerian health professionals under a government-funded arrangement.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Dunoma Ahmed, called for reforms including digital volunteer management, diaspora integration, virtual technical assistance and stronger monitoring systems to improve NTAC’s impact.
The meeting focused on strengthening NTAC’s role in projecting Nigeria’s expertise abroad and expanding the country’s diplomatic influence through technical cooperation and capacity building.
