The Minister of Art, Culture and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, has expressed optimism that Nigeria’s partnership with Qatar in areas of art and cultural exchange will create better opportunities for Nigerians in the future.
The minister said this on Monday in Doha, during a state visit to Qatar with President Bola Tinubu and some other cabinet members.
The President’s entourage was taken on a tour of various Qatari monuments and the National Museum of Qatar by its Director, Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Hamad Al Thani.
In a statement signed by Musawa’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Nneka Anibeze, the minister said that the visit which included a tour of the spectacular National Museum of Qatar, highlighted the importance of culture and heritage in nation building.
She said this also underscores Nigeria’s commitment to revitalising the country’s museums and monuments.
The minister said: “We had multiple productive partnership discussions on the sidelines of the visit and we are excited about the opportunities that exist for collaboration across multiple segments.
Partnerships remain cornerstone of our roadmap.
“Qatar is absolutely delectable and almost like a dream resort to come to. There is a lot of interface in terms of what Nigeria wants to do.
“This is a new government with a huge burden on its shoulder to do something different, to bring innovation and take Nigeria into the future.
“It is with the collaborations and the partnerships with countries like Qatar that we can be able to do that. I think this is huge for both countries in terms of many sectors and I think Nigeria and Qatar can have very meaningful partnerships.
“When it comes to the Islamic art and the way they have been able to cultivate that, there is a huge community in Nigeria that also wants to cultivate these Islamic arts.
“I think the people of Nigeria and Qatar just want to do better for the next generation. What I saw in Qatar is a government that is looking at the future and the next generation and this is exactly what the current Nigerian government is looking at.”
Musawa will later today hold talks with Dr Al-Kawari , the President of the Qatar National Library.