President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has said the relationship between Nigeria and France now carries real economic weight and must be translated into more jobs, industries, infrastructure, and shared prosperity.
The President who was speaking at the 10th France-Nigeria Business Council Meeting, held at the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, described the outcome of the meeting as a clear signal that Nigeria and France are moving from dialogue to delivery.
He said with trade between both countries reaching $4.7 billion in 2025 and Nigeria remaining the top destination for French investment in sub-Saharan Africa, both countries are now ripe for a more serious economic relationship.
The meeting, which was also attended by Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, and France’s Minister Delegate, Nicolas Forissier, saw leading Nigerian and French businesses provide updates on key projects and commit to further expanding collaboration between both countries.
A statement from the Special Adviser to the President, Information & Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said President Tinubu, at the summit, commended the current Chairman of the France-Nigeria Business Council, Aigboje Aig Imoukhuede, for convening a productive session that brought together leading Nigerian and French private-sector players.
The President also acknowledged the participation of Aliko Dangote, Abdul Samad Rabiu, Tony Elumelu, Wale Tinubu, Kola Karim, Kashim Bukar, Patrick Pouyanné of TotalEnergies, Rodolphe Saadé of CMA CGM, Danone, Accor, and other partners, whose presence reflects growing confidence in Nigeria’s reform direction and long-term competitiveness.
The President particularly welcomed the signing between Accor and Shoreline Group for Nigeria’s first national hotel platform, describing it as a major vote of confidence in Nigeria’s hospitality, tourism, services and investment future.
“This is the partnership Nigeria is ready for. We are ready for investment that builds, capital that produces, and an enterprise that creates jobs. Nigeria and France are no longer simply exchanging goodwill. We are opening a new chapter of serious economic execution”, the President said.
He further affirmed that his administration will continue to strengthen the business environment, support credible investors, and deepen reforms to make Nigeria a more stable, productive, and competitive economy.
“The message from the Africa Forward summit in Nairobi is that Nigeria is ready, France is engaged, and the private sector in both countries is moving forward. The next chapter of Africa-Europe relations will be written in factories, hotels, ports, energy projects, technology platforms, farms, jobs and new value chains,” President Tinubu added.
More than 30 African leaders, as well as heads of multilateral financial institutions and business executives from across Africa and France, are attending the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, the first France has held in an English-speaking country.
