The Federal Government has called for stronger public diplomacy to increase Nigerians' awareness of the activities of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Nigerian Technical Aid Corps (NTAC), as the agency revealed that it has deployed more than 10,000 Nigerian professionals to over 40 countries since its establishment in 1987.
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, made the call in Abuja during a courtesy visit by NTAC Director-General, Hon. Yusuf Buba Yakub, and members of the agency's management team, the Spokesperson of the Ministry, Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, said in a statement Abuja on Sunday.
The minister said the Ministry was implementing comprehensive reforms aimed at repositioning Nigeria's foreign policy in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's Renewed Hope Agenda and the administration's 4-D foreign policy doctrine of Demography, Democracy, Development and Diaspora.
He noted that despite the contributions of the Ministry and NTAC to Nigeria's international engagements, many citizens remained unaware of their achievements, stressing the need for a deliberate and well-funded communication strategy.
According to Enikanolaiye, public visibility has become as important as policy delivery, adding that the Ministry and NTAC must intensify media engagement to showcase their work and strengthen public understanding of Nigeria's diplomatic efforts.
Earlier, Yakub described NTAC as a major instrument of Nigeria's soft power diplomacy, established to promote South-South Cooperation through the deployment of skilled Nigerian professionals to developing countries, particularly in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific.
He disclosed that the agency has so far deployed over 10,000 volunteers to more than 40 countries, providing expertise in sectors such as education, healthcare, engineering, agriculture, information and communications technology and public administration.
The NTAC Director-General said the agency currently has 274 volunteers serving in 13 countries, including 69 in The Gambia, 34 in Zanzibar, 30 in Uganda, 28 in Rwanda, 26 in Liberia and 23 in Sierra Leone.
Other deployments include 17 medical professionals in Guinea-Bissau, 16 professionals in St. Kitts and Nevis, 15 teachers in Benin Republic, six nurses in Jamaica, five medical professionals in Seychelles, three doctors in Grenada and two teachers in Equatorial Guinea.
Yakub added that NTAC is pursuing new agreements with Zambia, Ethiopia, Angola, Trinidad and Tobago, and Barbados, while negotiations with Jamaica could lead to the recruitment of a significant number of Nigerian healthcare workers under a fully funded arrangement.
He said the agency had also revived previously inactive partnerships with countries such as Rwanda, Jamaica, Seychelles and Zanzibar, while expanding its operations in the Caribbean following the signing of a new agreement with St. Lucia.
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Dunoma Umar Ahmed, urged NTAC to embrace digital volunteer management, virtual technical assistance, diaspora engagement, results-based monitoring and youth-focused technical diplomacy to enhance its effectiveness and long-term impact.