According to a senior official, Qatar has expressed interest in collaborating with Nigeria on labor migration.
This information was made public by Ahmad Al-Horr, the Chargé d’Affaires of the Qatari Embassy in Nigeria, during a meeting with Chris Ngige, the Minister of Labor and Employment, in Abuja.
According to local press, the envoy stated that “Qatar needs more Nigerian component in its labor force because the number of Nigerian workers in the country is restricted.”
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Al-Horr also mentioned the establishment of a system for a formal bilateral agreement with Nigeria on the subject.
“We are processing the bilateral agreement between Nigeria and Qatar regarding the control of migrant Nigerian labor employment in the State of Qatar.
The Labour Ministry needs to work with us because there aren’t enough Nigerian employees in Qatar. We want more Nigerian workers here,” he continued.
Ngige said that his government was working to formalize the bilateral labor movement agreement between Nigeria and Qatar. The pact is one that officials are hoping the president would sign during his next trip to the Gulf state.
“We require Nigerians to fill your position. We also implore you to find a mechanism to legalize the presence of Nigerians who are now residing and working illegally in your country, he continued, mentioning potential employment in the oil and gas industry.
Nigeria is Africa’s largest economy and top oil exporter, with crude oil sales accounting for 90% of its foreign exchange earnings.
Last year, Nigeria had requested to enhance its economic cooperation with Qatar in gas development to boost its investment in the industry. Nigerian media had reported that Qatar planned to invest $5 billion into the African country’s economy.
The two countries were also in talks over partnering in Nigeria’s Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF).
