Nigeria will seek stronger partnerships in humanitarian response, youth empowerment and economic development at the forthcoming meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The meeting is scheduled for Thursday, August 27, 2026.
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Amb. Sola Enikanolaiye, who is leading the Nigerian delegation, said the country’s participation would focus on securing practical partnerships that support national development and the economic objectives of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Speaking with journalists before the delegation’s departure from the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, Enikanolaiye said Nigeria’s engagement would be guided by its foreign policy priorities and the administration’s four-D doctrine of Demography, Development, Diaspora and Democracy.
He said the country would use the OIC platform to deepen cooperation with member states in peace, humanitarian assistance, youth development, investment and economic growth.
On security and humanitarian issues, the Minister said Nigeria would push for the operationalisation of a Nigeria-OIC Working Group on Humanitarian Affairs to strengthen responses to insecurity and humanitarian challenges, particularly in the Lake Chad Basin and the Sahel.
He said the initiative would support interfaith dialogue, rehabilitation of displaced communities and efforts to combat terrorism and violent extremism.
Enikanolaiye added that Nigeria would seek expanded OIC-supported programmes in vocational training, women empowerment, healthcare and cultural exchanges to equip young people with skills and promote stronger people-to-people relations.
On economic diplomacy, he said Nigeria would showcase investment opportunities in agriculture, manufacturing, business process outsourcing, automotive development, oil and gas and commerce.
The delegation, he added, would engage investors and OIC institutions on business-to-business and business-to-government partnerships aimed at attracting foreign investment and supporting economic diversification.
The meeting will also feature the election of a new OIC Secretary-General.
Enikanolaiye said Nigeria would participate constructively in the process and support leadership that promotes unity, institutional reform and people-centred development across the organisation’s 57 member states.
He also dismissed misconceptions about OIC activities in Nigeria, noting that the organisation has implemented programmes and projects across the country without religious bias.
The Minister is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with counterparts and senior OIC officials on the sidelines of the conference to advance Nigeria’s strategic interests.
