Jane Salihu
Nigeria has intensified efforts to boost employment opportunities for its citizens and deepen bilateral cooperation in the energy sector following a series of high-level diplomatic engagements in Doha, Qatar.
Nigeria’s Ambassador to Qatar, Mahmood Yakubu, held separate meetings on Sunday with senior Qatari officials and executives of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF), focusing on labour mobility, diaspora engagement and strategic energy collaboration.
During a meeting with Qatar’s Minister of Labour, Ali bin Saeed bin Samikh Al Marri, Ambassador Yakubu explored avenues for creating more employment opportunities for qualified Nigerians in the Gulf nation.
The ambassador said the initiative aligns with Nigeria’s foreign policy objectives under the “4D Doctrine,” which places strong emphasis on leveraging the Nigerian diaspora as a catalyst for national development.
In a related engagement, Yakubu hosted the Secretary-General of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum, Dr. Philip Mshelbila, who led a delegation from the Doha-based organisation.
Discussions centred on strengthening cooperation in the gas sector and advancing Nigeria’s strategic interests within the global energy industry.
Dr. Mshelbila, a Nigerian, heads the GECF, while Nigeria’s Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, currently chairs the forum’s ministerial meetings, underscoring the country’s growing influence in international gas diplomacy.
The twin engagements are expected to reinforce Nigeria’s economic diplomacy by expanding overseas employment opportunities for its citizens while promoting stronger partnerships in the global energy sector.
