Marking a historic milestone, President Bola Tinubu arrived in Nairobi, Kenya, to join African and French heads of state for the Africa Forward Summit—a two-day event dedicated to driving investment, innovation, and trade across the continent.
His official aircraft, Nigeria Air Force 1, landed at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport at about 12:15 a.m. local time.
However, senior Nigerian officials received him on arrival. They included Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, and key ministers handling finance, agriculture, trade, marine economy, and foreign affairs.
Those present were Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele; Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari; Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole; Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola; and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu.
Summit With Macron, Ruto
Meanwhile, Tinubu is expected to attend the Africa-France Summit, which French President Emmanuel Macron and Kenyan President William Ruto will co-chair.
The summit carries the theme, “Africa Forward: Africa-France Partnerships for Innovation and Growth.”
Furthermore, discussions will focus on energy transition, green industrialisation, digital transformation, climate action, and reform of global financing systems.
Nigeria Pushes Investment Drive
Consequently, Tinubu’s participation is expected to strengthen Nigeria’s economic ties with African countries and France.
The Presidency also hopes to showcase ongoing reforms aimed at making Nigeria a stronger destination for investors and long-term growth.
Meanwhile, the President is expected to hold bilateral meetings with African and global business leaders on the sidelines of the summit.
Those talks will target fresh investment into key sectors of the Nigerian economy including agriculture, infrastructure, technology, and manufacturing.
Furthermore, after the Nairobi event, Tinubu will travel to Kigali, Rwanda, later this week.
He will attend the Africa CEO Forum scheduled for May 14 to May 15.
The forum, themed “Scale or Fail,” remains one of Africa’s biggest gatherings of investors, policymakers, and private sector leaders.
More than 2,000 participants are expected to discuss faster economic transformation through regional integration and cross-border investment.
In response, Tinubu’s East African trip forms part of a wider diplomatic and trade push by his administration.
The government aims to deepen international partnerships, expand exports, attract capital, and improve regional cooperation across Africa.
