President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is scheduled to depart Abuja for official visits to France, Kenya, and Rwanda on Saturday, May 2, where he will be attending high-level summit meetings focusing on economic transformation and partnerships.
In France, Tinubu will hold bilateral meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron to bolster the bilateral relations between Nigeria and France; boost investment opportunities and encourage partnerships in technology and energy.
Following his French engagements, Tinubu would then be in Nairobi, Kenya to attend the Africa-France Summit from May 11-12. Co-presided by President Macron and his Kenyan counterpart, William Ruto, the Summit will deliberate on critical issues such as energy transition, green industrialisation, digital transformation, restructuring of global financial systems and climate change.
Tagged Africa Forward: Africa-France Partnerships for Innovation and Growth, the summit will provide a platform for leaders in Africa and France to strengthen partnership across economic transformation, infrastructure, climate resilience, youth empowerment, innovation, peace, and security. The participation by Nigeria, represented by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, will reiterate her commitment towards building alliance that drives growth and innovation in Africa.
From Nairobi, Tinubu would visit Kigali, Rwanda for the Africa CEO Forum which will hold from May 14-15. Tagged “Scale or Fail,” Africa CEO Forum is the largest gathering of African private sector players, investors, and decision-makers. The Summit, jointly organised with International Finance Corporation (IFC), will bring over 2,000 executives and national leaders together to discuss enhancing African companies’ ability to grow by scaling up, expanding markets within Africa and attracting investment from abroad.
In Rwanda, the president will address business leaders, present his administration’s reforms aimed at repositioning Nigeria as a preferred destination for investment; highlight his government’s efforts towards attraction of investment and improvement of investor confidence, business competitiveness, and corporate governance in Nigeria.
The three countries are strategically located to help advance Nigeria’s foreign policy initiative. His engagements in France, Kenya, and Rwanda, will cement Africa’s strategic alliance in advancing innovation and sustainable development in Africa. While the Africa-France Summit will afford Nigeria the opportunity to negotiate with European partners over issues of climate and funding in Africa; the Africa CEO Forum will serve as an avenue for the display of Nigeria’s private sector strength; enabling Africa to be seen and heard globally, especially among private investors, as a region with potential.
He will travel with top government functionaries who will support the negotiation and success of the business trips; and then would return to Nigeria after the summit in Rwanda.
The recent visits by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to France, Kenya and Rwanda would reinforce Nigeria’s role as a global partner while focusing on economic integration, innovation, and sustainable development in Africa through a stronger partnership with other countries. These trips, which were aimed at leveraging Africa-France Summit in Kenya and Africa CEO forum in Rwanda, would definitely further strengthen Nigeria’s diplomatic and economic ties while also projecting Nigeria’s resolve to embrace innovation and international cooperation for inclusive development in Nigeria and the rest of Africa.
