The Federal Government has called for a stronger public communication strategy to increase Nigerians’ awareness of the country’s foreign policy initiatives and the contributions of the Nigerian Technical Aid Corps (NTAC).

The call is part of efforts to reposition Nigeria’s diplomacy around the administration’s 4-D foreign policy doctrine.

It was made by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, during a courtesy visit by the Director General of NTAC, Yusuf Buba Yakub, and the agency’s management team in Abuja.

According to a statement, Enikanolaiye said that while the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and NTAC have continued to deliver on their mandates, many Nigerians remain unaware of their activities and achievements.

He stressed that greater visibility through sustained media engagement was essential to strengthening public understanding and support for Nigeria’s foreign policy objectives.

He commended the ministry’s spokesperson for ongoing efforts to publicise its activities, but maintained that broader public diplomacy was needed as the ministry undertook comprehensive reforms under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

According to the minister, the reforms are designed to realign Nigeria’s foreign policy around the country’s national interest through the 4-D doctrine of Demography, Democracy, Development and Diaspora.

He described NTAC as a key instrument in implementing the policy and praised the agency for achieving significant results despite limited resources.

Yakub explained that NTAC was established in 1987 as a vehicle for Nigeria’s soft power diplomacy by deploying skilled Nigerian professionals to support development in partner countries across Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific.

Highlighting the agency’s impact, the NTAC Director General said more than 10,000 Nigerian professionals had been deployed to over 40 countries since the scheme was established. He said the initiative had strengthened institutions, improved service delivery and built human capacity in several partner countries, with many former volunteers rising to senior academic and administrative positions abroad.

Yakub also cited the appointment of an NTAC volunteer to chair Sierra Leone’s COVID-19 management response as evidence of the programme’s growing international credibility, noting that the agency had received recognition from African countries, the United Nations and other multilateral institutions.

Yakub disclosed that 274 Nigerian volunteers are currently serving in 13 countries, including The Gambia, Uganda, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Rwanda, Benin Republic, Jamaica and Seychelles. He added that negotiations were at an advanced stage to conclude new technical aid agreements with Zambia, Ethiopia, Angola, Trinidad and Tobago, and Barbados.