General News
NIDEC 2026: Tinubu Sends High-Powered Team to Canada to Hunt Investment, Jobs
The Federal Government is heading to Canada with a clear mandate to attract fresh investment, create jobs and boost foreign exchange inflows as the 2026 Nigeria Diaspora Investment Economic Conference (NIDEC) opens in Toronto on Wednesday.
The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, disclosed this on Monday at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, shortly before departing for Canada with the Federal Government delegation.
A statement signed by Mr. Raphael Oni, Special Adviser on Digital Media and Public Diplomacy, Office of the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, quoted Enikanolaiye as saying that the administration would not allow NIDEC 2026 to become another international jamboree, but would use the conference to pursue concrete economic opportunities for Nigeria.
Responding to concerns that similar international engagements in the past had yielded little tangible results, Enikanolaiye said the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was focused on measurable outcomes.
“This administration does not travel for jamborees. We travel for results. Mr. President has mandated a high-powered delegation led by the Chief of Staff to the President, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, because NIDEC 2026 is a deal room for Nigeria’s growth,” he said.
The minister said the conference was aligned with the administration’s realigned 4Ds Foreign Policy Agenda — Demography, Development, Democracy and Diaspora — and would provide a platform for Nigeria to convert its large diaspora population and financial resources into productive investments.
Nigeria targets stronger trade ties with Canada
Enikanolaiye said the presence of senior Canadian officials, including President of the Treasury Board, Hon. Shafqat Ali, and ministers from Ontario, would provide an opportunity to deepen Nigeria-Canada trade and investment relations.
He said Nigeria would pursue new trade opportunities, SME partnerships and greater market access for Nigerian products in North America.
FG targets diaspora capital, jobs, FX inflows
The minister said the participation of key economic agencies, including the Central Bank of Nigeria, Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission, Nigerian Export Promotion Council and Nigeria Revenue Service, was deliberate.
According to him, the agencies would showcase incentives for diaspora capital repatriation, export expansion and remittance-backed investment vehicles.
He said the Federal Government was determined to move beyond receiving diaspora remittances and attract those funds into productive investments capable of creating employment.
“With over $20 billion in diaspora remittances to Nigeria last year, NIDEC 2026 is designed to convert that goodwill into equity, into factories, and into businesses that employ Nigerians,” he said.
Five governors to court investors
Enikanolaiye also disclosed that five governors — from Anambra, Borno, Kaduna, Plateau and Zamfara states — would participate in the investment drive.
He said the governors would directly engage prospective investors on opportunities in infrastructure, agriculture, technology and mining.
According to him, their participation would decentralise investment opportunities and enable international capital to flow into viable projects across the states.
FG seeks technology and skills transfer
The minister said technology and skills transfer would also feature prominently at the conference.
The Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency, Kashifu Inuwa, is among members of the delegation expected to pursue partnerships in digital innovation, fintech and information technology capacity building.
Enikanolaiye said such partnerships would support the administration’s digital economy agenda and strengthen Nigeria’s human capital.
NIDEC to strengthen diaspora confidence
The minister said the conference was also designed to strengthen government-diaspora relations by connecting investment-ready Nigerian projects with high-net-worth Nigerians and other investors abroad.
He said NIDEC would provide an avenue to identify and address bottlenecks confronting Nigerians in the diaspora who wish to invest in the country.
“NIDEC 2026 is economic diplomacy in action. Nigeria is open for business. And we are going to Toronto to close deals,” Enikanolaiye said.
The four-day conference, themed “Invest Nigeria, Thrive Abroad,” will hold from August 12 to 15, 2026, in Toronto, Canada.
NIDEC 2026 is organised by the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), in collaboration with the Nigerian High Commission in Ottawa and the Canadian High Commission in Abuja.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the conference is expected to serve as a strategic bridge connecting global capital with bankable projects and investment opportunities in Nigeria.
