President Bola Tinubu had suggested holding a business and investment roundtable during his official visit to the oil-rich nation of Qatar from March 2–3. However, the government of Qatar has since changed its mind.
According to a leaked document, Qatar rejected the suggested investment roundtable, citing Mohammed Bin Hamad Al-Thani, the nation’s minister of business and industry, as being unavailable.
Nonetheless, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry in Qatar expressed regret for the denial of the suggested business meeting in a letter addressed to the government of Nigeria. The new development was reported to Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs via a document dated February 23, 2024, which was sent by the Qatari embassy.
A portion of the memo says:
“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.”
