ABUJA — The Federal Government has said Nigeria is heading to Toronto to secure concrete investment, trade and job-creation opportunities, with Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, declaring that the administration does not travel abroad for “jamborees.”
Enikanolaiye made the declaration on Monday while speaking with journalists at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, before departing for the 2026 Nigeria Diaspora Investment Economic Conference (NIDEC) in Toronto, Canada.
The remarks were contained in a statement signed by Raphael Oni, Special Adviser on Digital Media and Public Diplomacy in the Office of the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.
The minister said NIDEC 2026 was designed as a results-driven platform to attract investment, strengthen trade ties, increase foreign exchange inflows and connect Nigerian projects with diaspora and international capital.
“This administration does not travel for jamborees. We travel for results,” Enikanolaiye said, describing NIDEC 2026 as “a deal room for Nigeria’s growth.”
He said the approach was consistent with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 4Ds Foreign Policy Agenda — Demography, Development, Democracy and Diaspora — which places greater emphasis on using diplomacy to advance Nigeria’s economic interests.
Enikanolaiye said the high-powered Federal Government delegation was deliberately constituted to ensure that engagements in Toronto translate into investment and commercial opportunities for Nigeria.
The delegation includes representatives of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Nigeria Investment Promotion Commission, Nigerian Export Promotion Council and Nigeria Revenue Service, alongside the National Information Technology Development Agency.
According to the minister, their participation would enable Nigeria to present opportunities in diaspora capital, export expansion, foreign exchange inflows, digital investment and remittance-backed investment.
He said Nigeria was also seeking stronger trade and investment relations with Canada, with senior Canadian and Ontario government officials expected to participate in the conference.
The participation of governors from Anambra, Borno, Kaduna, Plateau and Zamfara, he added, would enable states to directly present investment opportunities in infrastructure, agriculture, technology and mining.
“This decentralises investment and takes opportunities beyond Abuja,” he said.
Enikanolaiye also highlighted the potential of diaspora funds to support productive economic activity in Nigeria, noting that the country received more than $20 billion in diaspora remittances last year.
He said the government wanted to encourage Nigerians abroad to move beyond remittances for consumption and consider investing in businesses, factories and other productive ventures capable of creating jobs.
The minister said NIDEC would also seek to strengthen government-diaspora trust and address challenges faced by Nigerians abroad who want to invest in the country.
He added that technology and skills transfer would form another component of the engagement, with Nigeria seeking partnerships in digital innovation, fintech and information technology capacity building.
The four-day NIDEC 2026, themed “Invest Nigeria, Thrive Abroad,” will hold in Toronto from August 12 to 15.
The conference is organised by the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission in collaboration with the Nigerian High Commission in Ottawa and the Canadian High Commission in Abuja.
Enikanolaiye said the Federal Government expected the conference to deliver measurable economic outcomes.
“NIDEC 2026 is economic diplomacy in action. Nigeria is open for business. And we are going to Toronto to close deals,” he said.
