President Bola Tinubu has arrived in Nairobi, Kenya, to participate in the Africa-France Summit scheduled to commence on May 11.
President Tinubu arrived in Nairobi from Paris, France, on Monday and was received at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) at 12:30 am, by senior Nigerian government officials.
These officials include; the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Taiwo Oyedele; Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca-Odumegwu Ojukwu, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye; Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari; Minister of Environment, Balarabe Lawal; Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole; and Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, among others.
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The Nigerian leader is attending the Africa Forward Summit, currently underway at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), Nairobi, alongside more than 30 African Heads of State and Government.
The summit, co-chaired by French President, Emmanuel Macron and Kenyan President, William Ruto, is expected to underscore Nigeria’s commitment to strengthening strategic partnerships with African countries and the French Republic.
The Kenya-France Summit is focused on key issues including energy transition, green industrialisation, digital transformation, reform of the global financial architecture, and climate action.
With the theme, “Africa Forward: Africa-France Partnerships for Innovation and Growth,” the summit provides a high-level platform for African leaders and their French counterparts to deliberate on critical issues shaping the continent’s future, including economic transformation, climate resilience, infrastructure development, youth empowerment, technological advancement, and peacebuilding initiatives.
Africa CEO Forum
At the conclusion of the Nairobi summit, President Tinubu is expected to proceed to Kigali, Rwanda, to participate in the annual Africa CEO Forum scheduled for May 14 and 15.
The forum, themed “Scale or Fail,” is regarded as the continent’s largest gathering of private sector leaders, investors, and policymakers, with discussions centred on accelerating Africa’s economic transformation through regional integration, shared industrial scale, and expanded cross-border investment.
Held in partnership with the International Finance Corporation, the forum will convene more than 2,000 business executives and political leaders to examine strategies for building resilient and globally competitive African industries.
At both summits, President Tinubu is expected to deliver keynote statements highlighting his administration’s ongoing economic reforms aimed at repositioning Nigeria as a preferred destination for investment, trade, and sustainable growth.
High Level Engagements
The President will also hold a series of high-level engagements with leading African and global business executives on investment opportunities and strategic economic partnerships.
Recall that during the first leg of his three-nation tour in France, President Tinubu met with global investors and reiterated his administration’s commitment to transparency, fiscal discipline, and economic stability.
The Nigerian leader also explained the rationale behind the swift implementation of key economic reforms, noting that the measures were necessary to eliminate longstanding structural distortions and restore investor confidence in the Nigerian economy.
President Tinubu further stated that his administration’s reform programme is focused on stabilising macroeconomic indicators, enhancing transparency across the oil and gas value chain, deepening institutional reforms, and implementing a multi-layered security strategy that includes police decentralisation and efforts to disrupt terrorist financing networks.
A major highlight of the investment meeting in Paris was the affirmation of Nigeria’s strong GDP growth in dollar terms in 2025, including the recorded 11.2 per cent growth in dollar terms last year.
Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Taiwo Oyedele, said the performance further reinforces Nigeria’s ambition of building a one-trillion-dollar economy by 2030.
