The Federal Government is heading to Canada with a clear mandate to attract fresh investments, create jobs and increase foreign exchange inflows, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, has said.
Enikanolaiye said the 2026 Nigeria Diaspora Investment Economic Conference (NIDEC), scheduled to hold in Toronto from August 12 to 15, would not be another diplomatic jamboree but an economic engagement focused on securing tangible deals for Nigeria.
The Minister spoke at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, before departing for Canada with the Federal Government delegation, according to a statement issued on Tuesday by his Special Adviser on Digital Media and Public Diplomacy, Raphael Oni.
He said the conference was aligned with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 4Ds Foreign Policy Agenda of Demography, Development, Democracy and Diaspora, stressing that every international engagement under the administration must produce measurable results.
“This administration does not travel for jamborees. We travel for results,” Enikanolaiye said, adding that President Tinubu had mandated a high-powered delegation led by the Chief of Staff to the President, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, because NIDEC 2026 was designed as a “deal room for Nigeria’s growth.”
The Minister said the participation of senior Canadian officials, including Shafqat Ali, President of the Treasury Board, and Ontario government officials would provide an opportunity to deepen Nigeria-Canada trade relations, expand market access for Nigerian products and develop partnerships for Nigerian businesses.
Enikanolaiye said the participation of key economic agencies, including the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) and Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS), would help Nigeria promote incentives for diaspora investment, exports and remittance-backed investment schemes.
He said the initiatives were expected to increase foreign exchange inflows and stimulate job creation.
The Minister also said the participation of governors from Anambra, Borno, Kaduna, Plateau and Zamfara would enable the states to directly market investment opportunities in infrastructure, agriculture, technology and mining.
According to him, the arrangement would broaden investment opportunities beyond the Federal Capital Territory and allow investors to engage directly with subnational governments.
Focus on technology
Enikanolaiye said the presence of NITDA Director-General, Kashifu Inuwa, would further strengthen Nigeria’s efforts to attract partnerships in digital innovation, fintech and information technology capacity building.
He said the partnerships would promote technology and skills transfer while supporting the growth of Nigeria’s digital economy.
On diaspora engagement, the Minister said NIDEC 2026 would connect investment-ready Nigerian projects with high-net-worth Nigerians and other investors abroad.
He added that the conference would provide an avenue to address bottlenecks discouraging Nigerians in the diaspora from investing back home.
Enikanolaiye noted that Nigeria received more than $20 billion in diaspora remittances last year, saying the government’s objective was to transform part of the inflows into productive investments, factories and businesses that create employment.
“NIDEC 2026 is economic diplomacy in action. Nigeria is open for business, and we are going to Toronto to close deals,” he said.
The conference is themed “Invest Nigeria, Thrive Abroad” and is organised by the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) in collaboration with the Nigerian High Commission in Ottawa and the Canadian High Commission in Abuja.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the conference would provide a platform for linking global capital with bankable projects in Nigeria.