The Directorate of Technical Aid Corps (DTAC) says Nigeria possesses a population of skilled youths capable of providing technical assistance to African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) countries.
The Director-General of DTAC, Dr Yusuf Yakub disclosed this on Saturday in a statement issued by Nkem Anyata-Lafia, his Special Assistant on Media and Publicity.
The statement indicated that Yakubu stated this at the closing of a four-day Administrative, Monitoring, and Evaluation trip of the Technical Aid Corps (TAC) to Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Seychelles.
According to him, Nigeria has a huge population that can address the technical deficiencies of the aforementioned countries in furtherance of President Bola Tinubu ‘s 4-D foreign policy agenda of promoting Democracy, Demography, Development, and the Diaspora.
The director general also said that the Tinubu-led administration planned to continue to project Nigeria in a positive light using the TAC scheme as an instrument of foreign policy.
He added that what was needed to sustain the objective of the TAC scheme was for its strategic stakeholders and partners to continue to work in synergy.
The DTAC boss expressed satisfaction that the TAC scheme has in the past 35 years of operation remained on course by developing the needed manpower in recipient countries where former trainees are now beginning to train others.
During a visit to the Nigerian High Commission in Dar es Salaam, the statement indicated that Yakub and other DTAC officials met with volunteers in the scheme serving at Zanzibar, and expressed his satisfaction with their contributions to the success of the scheme.
The director general, according to the statement, applauded the high commission for supporting the volunteers.
The statement quoted him as urging the high commission to maintain a cordial working relationship with the volunteers.
“We are here in furtherance of President Tinubu’s 4-D foreign policy agenda.
“In our own little way at DTAC, we have keyed into this presidential vision and mandate knowing that Nigeria possesses the right demography to bring in results anywhere we find ourselves.
“With a sizable and talented youth population that is also energetic and skilful, we have the manpower and expertise to go around where they are needed.
“On this visit, we set out to meet our volunteers, officials of government where they are serving, and our mission officials who relate directly with these volunteers.
“This is in our bid to promote the foreign policy agenda of our dear president as I said before, using our agency’s clear mandate.
“We know that globally, soft-power diplomacy is the in-thing.
“Even after an act of coercion, it is important to know that we must return to the table to engage in order to get the enabling environment we all desire to live together.
“Also, DTAC has continued to carry on this mandate in over the past 35 years with visible results” he said.
Earlier, Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Tanzania, Amb. Hamisu Umar, welcoming the DTAC delegation, noted the high pan-African credentials and friendliness of Tanzania.
He said that Nigeria needed to learn a lesson or two from the unity and peaceful co-existence among the people of the country.
He congratulated the DTAC boss on his appointment as director general of the agency, saying he was convinced that his crossing-over from the legislature to the executive arm of government is a positive development for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.