Nigeria will seek expanded trade partnerships, humanitarian support for the Sahel, and youth empowerment initiatives at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The Nigerian delegation, led by Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, departed from Kano on Tuesday ahead of the summit scheduled for 27 August 2026.
Key Strategic Focus Areas
Speaking before departure, Ambassador Enikanolaiye emphasized that Nigeria’s participation in the 57-member bloc is driven by strategic economic and diplomatic interests rather than religious ideology:
- Sahel Security and Humanitarian Relief: Nigeria is advocating for the activation of a joint Nigeria-OIC Working Group on Humanitarian Affairs to address insecurity, community displacement, and violent extremism across the Lake Chad Basin and the Sahel.
- Trade and Foreign Investment: The delegation will hold Business-to-Business (B2B) and Business-to-Government (B2G) sessions targeting OIC investors, highlighting reform-driven opportunities in agriculture, manufacturing, automotive industries, and energy.
- Youth and Social Development: Nigeria will push for expanded OIC-funded vocational training, healthcare initiatives, and women’s empowerment schemes.
- Institutional Leadership: Delegates will participate in talks and voting for the election of a new OIC Secretary-General, backing candidates committed to institutional reform and development-focused programming.
Nigeria has been a member of the OIC—the world’s second-largest intergovernmental body after the United Nations—since 1986. Enikanolaiye noted that the organization routinely funds non-sectarian development projects across the country and reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to multilateral cooperation.
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