NTAC deploys 10,000+ volunteers to ACP countries, strengthens Nigeria's soft power
Nigeria's Technical Aid Corps (NTAC) has deployed over 10,000 professionals to African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) countries since 1987, serving as a key foreign policy tool under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The corps sends doctors, engineers, and teachers to bridge educational and professional gaps in these nations, focusing on capacity building and human resources development. In 2025 alone, NTAC sent volunteers to 12 ACP countries including Jamaica, Rwanda, and Grenada, establishing new relations with Equatorial Guinea, Grenada, and St. Kitts and Nevis. Director-General Yusuf Yakub repositioned NTAC to align with Nigeria's 4D Foreign Policy (Democracy, Development, Demography, Diaspora), strengthening ties with countries like Jamaica, which requested 400 Nigerian workers to fill manpower gaps. NTAC received accolades from Gambia and Benin for its educational interventions, with Nigerian professors praised for their impact at the University of Applied Science in Gambia. The corps also sent 35 medical professionals to Zanzibar, Tanzania, and 16 volunteers to Jamaica. Despite challenges, NTAC's repositioning under Yakub's leadership is seen as a new dawn for Nigeria's soft power diplomacy.