Temitope Mustapha, Abuja
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will depart Abuja on Wednesday for a two-nation working trip to Johannesburg, South Africa, and Luanda, Angola.
A statement issued on Tuesday by the Presidential Spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, noted that President Tinubu’s first port of call will be Johannesburg, where he is slated to participate in the 20th G20 Leaders’ Summit.
Themed, ‘Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability,’ the two-day summit will afford participants the opportunity to deliberate extensively during three plenary sessions devoted to: Inclusive and Sustainable Growth, Leaving No One Behind: Building our economies, the Role of Trade, Financing for Development and the Debt burden; A Resilient World-the G20’s Contribution to Disaster Risk Reduction; Climate Change; Just Energy Transitions; Food Systems and A fair and Just Future for All: Critical Minerals; Decent Work; Artificial Intelligence.
President Tinubu is also expected to hold bilateral meetings during the Summit in furtherance of the Renewed Hope Agenda, as well as to discuss regional and international peace, security, and development.
After the summit, the Nigerian Leader will proceed to Angola for the AU-EU summit.
President Cyril Ramaphosa, the South African leader who also serves as the current President of the G20 group, invited his Nigerian counterpart to participate in this year’s edition.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil had, during his Presidency of the group in 2024, equally invited President Tinubu to Rio de Janeiro.
The Summit, scheduled to take place from Saturday, November 22nd, to Sunday, November 23rd, at the Johannesburg Expo Centre, brings together leaders from the world’s top 20 economies, including the European Union, the African Union, and financial institutions, among others.
At the conclusion of the G20 Summit, the Nigerian President will join other Heads of State and Government from the African Union (AU) and the European Union (EU) for the 7th meeting of the two bodies, scheduled to take place from November 24 to 25 in Luanda, Angola.
The AU and EU meeting will bring together young leaders, innovators, and Civil Society Organisations to brainstorm on some of the shared challenges of the two unions.
It will also provide recommendations on how to address issues related to climate change, inclusivity in development, infrastructure, the digital economy, the creative industry, manufacturing, and agribusiness.
President Tinubu will be accompanied by top government officials, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, Minister of Solid Minerals, Dele Alake, Minister of Trade and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole and the Director General of the National Intelligence Agency, Ambassador Mohammed Mohammed.
The President will return to Nigeria at the end of the two meetings.