Nigeria and Qatar have agreed to establish a training centre and a Qatar Visa Centre in Nigeria to prepare Nigerian workers for employment in the Gulf state and streamline visa processing.
The agreement was reached by officials of both countries on the sidelines of the International Labour Organisation, ILP meeting in Geneva, Switzerland.
The bilateral meeting involved Nigeria’s Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi, and Qatar’s Minister of Labour, Ali bin Samikh Al Marri, on the margins of the 358th Session of the ILO Governing Body.
Under the plan, the training centre will equip Nigerians seeking work abroad with the skills, language, and workplace knowledge required for jobs in Qatar.
The Qatar Visa Centre, to be located in Nigeria, will handle visa applications for Nigerians travelling to Qatar for employment and other purposes.
Both ministers said the centres were intended to promote safe, orderly, and regular migration and to reduce the risks faced by workers who travel through informal or irregular channels.
“The agreement reflects our shared commitment to strengthening cooperation in labour and employment,” Dingyadi said. “It will help ensure that Nigerians who seek work abroad are properly prepared before they embark on the journey.”
For Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, the deal offers a formal channel to connect its large, youthful workforce with overseas opportunities while strengthening oversight of recruitment. For Qatar, which relies heavily on migrant labour, it provides a structured pipeline of trained workers.
The two countries also agreed to deepen cooperation on workers’ mobility, recruitment standards, and the protection of migrant workers.
No timeline has been set for when the centres will open. Officials said technical teams from both countries will work out implementation details in the coming months.
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(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
