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From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday night hosted President Bola Tinubu to a private dinner at the Élysée Palace in Paris, in a fresh high-level engagement aimed at deepening relations between Nigeria and France.
The dinner, according to the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, underscored the “enduring relationship” between the two countries and their shared commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation.
Onanuga disclosed this in a post on his verified X handle, @aonanuga1956, on Friday.
“French President Emmanuel Macron received President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a private dinner Thursday night at the Élysée Palace, reflecting the enduring relationship between Nigeria and France and their shared commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation,” he stated.
The meeting came as Tinubu continues the second leg of his three-week annual leave in Europe, having arrived in Paris on September 13 after spending the first part of his holiday in London.
The President departed Abuja on August 30 for the three-week break, with the Presidency announcing that he would return to Nigeria at the end of the leave to resume official engagements and join preparations for the January 2027 general election.
Tinubu’s latest engagement with Macron further highlights the growing diplomatic and economic ties between Abuja and Paris.
The Nigerian President has maintained extensive engagements with France since assuming office in May 2023. France’s foreign ministry says Tinubu’s November 28–29, 2024 state visit to France gave a strategic and global dimension to the bilateral partnership, with both countries signing declarations of intent covering economic cooperation, sustainable and solidarity-based investments, critical minerals, banking, and the creative and cultural industries.
Tinubu had also visited Paris in June 2023, shortly after assuming office, for the Summit for a New Global Financial Pact, where he met Macron.
The renewed engagement comes ahead of an anticipated state visit to Nigeria by Macron, which the French Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Marc Fonbaustier, announced in July.
The ambassador said Macron’s planned visit, expected in the autumn, would provide an opportunity for both presidents to review progress under the existing bilateral roadmap and define new areas of cooperation.
Nigeria and France have continued to expand cooperation in areas including trade, investment, security, energy, innovation, culture and the creative economy. France’s foreign ministry also says its development agency, AFD, has invested more than €3 billion in Nigeria since 2010, with projects across 26 of the country’s 36 states.
The latest meeting between Tinubu and Macron therefore provides another high-level platform for the two leaders to sustain discussions on the strategic partnership between Africa’s largest economy and France.
