- Embassy Silent on if Qatari’s Commerce & Industry Minister, State officials will participate at forum
By Abiola Olawale
In a surprising move, while still being silent on whether the Qatari minister of Commerce and state officials shall participate, the Qatari Embassy in Abuja has announced the readiness of the Country’s Chambers of Commerce to host the business and investment forum proposed by Nigeria during President Bola Tinubu’s visit to the Arab nation on March 2, 2024.
This comes after the Qatari government, in a leaked memo and addressed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday, declined the proposed investment forum, citing the unavailability of Mohammed Bin Hamad Al-Thani, the country’s minister of commerce and industry.
The country also cited the absence of a legally binding agreement between Qatar and Nigeria for the promotion of investment as the primary reason for declining the visit. The country also said its officials shall be participating in a web Summit on that same day and would therefore be unavailable to attend.
However, in a latest development, the Qatari government has announced that its private sector Chambers of Commerce which is similar to Nigeria’s Chambers of commerce shall host the forum. But the Note from the Embassy was very silent on Qatari government participation including its Industry and commerce ministry as well as state officials.
Given this development,some foreign policy experts have called on president Tinubu to call the bluff of the Qataris by declining to attend the business forum. According to them” let the private sector people handle themselves. Let Mr president return immediately after the state visit and leave Nigeria’s private sector participants to meet with Qataris Chambers of Commerce.”
The new development was disclosed in a memo dated February 23, 2024, from the Qatar embassy, addressed to Nigeria’s ministry of foreign affairs.
The memo reads, “Regarding the upcoming State visit of H.E. Bola Ahmed Tinubu, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to Qatar from 2nd-3rd March 2024 and with reference to our Note: Ref: QEA/FA/057/24 dated 22/02/2024 regarding holding of a Business and Investment Forum (BIF) on the margins of Mr. President’s visit to Qatar on 2nd March 2024.”
“The Embassy has the honour to convey that the Qatar Chamber of Commerce will host the above mentioned event on 3rd march 2024, as proposed by the Nigerian side.”
