From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Paris-France
President Bola Tinubu at 1:31pm departed Paris-France for London after joining his counterparts at Palais Brongniart, for the two-day New Global Financial Pact Summit hosted by hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron from June 22 to 23, 2023.
He was seen off by Embassy officials led by Ambassador Kayode Laro, Ambassador, Permanent Delegate of Nigeria to UNESCO, Dr Hajo Sani and Chairman/CEO Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa and some of his aides.
According to Special Adviser
Special Duties, Communications and Strategy, Dele Alake, President Tinubu, who was initially scheduled to be back in Abuja on Saturday, will now proceed to London, United Kingdom, for a short private visit.
He said the President will be back in the country in time for the upcoming Eid-el-Kabir festival.
According to the Statement, Aside his participation at the Summit where he represented Nigeria well, President Tinubu also held high-profile sideline meetings with fellow heads of state and government, global business leaders and chief executives of leading multilateral and development finance institutions from around the world.
“The summit afforded the President the opportunity of projecting, on a global stage, his advocacy for widening the fiscal space, economic justice for Africa as the world accelerates the pace of energy transition, and the urgency of addressing the pressing issues of poverty and climate change.”
The President had met with President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of African Export-Import Bank (Afrexim), Benedict Oramah and President of European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Odile Renaud–Basso, irrespectively, where he assured that Nigeria is ready for business and prepared to welcome investors.
He also met with President African Development Bank (AfDB), Adewunmi Adesina, and commended the bank’s investment of $520 million in specialised agro-processing zones, and promoting investment opportunities that reduce poverty and create job opportunities.
According to President Tinubu, this move is a step towards reinvigorating the economy, attracting more foreign investments to the country, and ensuring its seamless development.
The President also met with his counterpart from Benin Republic, Patrice Talon, where he assured that Nigeria will sustain its spotlight on African countries as the fulcrum of its policies on economy and foreign policy, assuring that trade issues, security and border controls will be mutually implemented.