ABUJA — Nigeria will push for stronger cooperation with the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on youth empowerment, humanitarian assistance and economic partnerships when its Council of Foreign Ministers meets in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, disclosed this before departing for the meeting, according to a statement signed by Raphael Oni, Special Assistant to the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs on Digital Media and Public Diplomacy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abuja.
The Nigerian delegation, led by Enikanolaiye, is scheduled to participate in the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers meeting on August 27, 2026, after departing from the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, on Tuesday.
Enikanolaiye said Nigeria’s participation would be anchored on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the country’s 4-D Foreign Policy Doctrine — Demography, Development, Diaspora and Democracy.
“This is a journey of strategic partnership and purpose devoid of ideological or religious fixation. Nigeria goes to Jeddah to advance cooperation that delivers real benefits to our people,” the minister said.
He said Nigeria’s engagement with the Islamic world would focus on practical partnerships capable of contributing to peace, prosperity, investment and development.
Nigeria seeks OIC humanitarian working group
On humanitarian and security cooperation, Enikanolaiye said Nigeria would advocate the operationalisation of a Nigeria-OIC Working Group on Humanitarian Affairs.
He said the proposed mechanism would strengthen regional responses to insecurity and humanitarian challenges in the Lake Chad Basin and the Sahel, while supporting interfaith dialogue and the rehabilitation of displaced communities.
The initiative would also contribute to efforts to counter terrorism and violent extremism, according to the minister.
Nigeria to push youth empowerment programmes
Nigeria will also seek expanded OIC-supported programmes in vocational training, women’s empowerment, healthcare and cultural exchanges.
Enikanolaiye said such initiatives would help equip Nigerian youths with relevant skills while promoting peace and unity among OIC member states.
Nigeria to court OIC investors
Economic diplomacy will be another major focus of Nigeria’s participation.
Enikanolaiye said the Nigerian delegation would showcase investment opportunities created by the government’s economic reforms in agriculture, manufacturing, business process outsourcing, automotive, oil and gas and commerce.
Nigeria will also engage OIC investors and institutions on Business-to-Business (B2B) and Business-to-Government (B2G) partnerships designed to attract foreign direct investment and support economic diversification.
The minister said the country would seek to use its OIC membership to build economic partnerships capable of delivering tangible benefits to Nigerians.
Nigeria to engage on new OIC leadership
The Council of Foreign Ministers meeting is also expected to feature the election of a new Secretary-General of the OIC.
Enikanolaiye said Nigeria would participate constructively in the process to support leadership committed to unity, reform and people-centred programmes across the 57-member organisation.
He noted that the OIC had implemented various programmes and projects in Nigeria, stressing that such initiatives had been undertaken without religious bias.
“Nigeria remains a committed member of the OIC. We will work with all member states to ensure our collective decisions reflect the aspirations of over 1.8 billion people and contribute to global peace and development,” he said.
Nigeria has been an active member of the OIC since 1986. Enikanolaiye reaffirmed the country’s commitment to multilateralism and stronger solidarity among member states.
The minister is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with foreign ministers and OIC officials on the sidelines of the Council of Foreign Ministers meeting to advance Nigeria’s diplomatic, economic and security interests.
