President Bola Tinubu has praised the strengthening economic relationship between Nigeria and France following the announcement that bilateral trade between both countries climbed to $4.7 billion in 2025.
According to a statement released on Tuesday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu said the partnership between Nigeria and France has moved beyond diplomatic engagements into what he described as an “execution phase,” focused on practical economic cooperation and investment.
The President made the remarks while receiving the outcome of the 10th France-Nigeria Business Council meeting held during the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi.
Tinubu noted that Nigeria’s position as the leading destination for French investment in sub-Saharan Africa reflects the increasing importance of the relationship between both countries.
“With trade between our two countries reaching $4.7 billion in 2025 and Nigeria remaining the top destination for French investment in sub-Saharan Africa, this relationship now carries real economic weight and must be translated into more jobs, industries, infrastructure, and shared prosperity,” he said.
The meeting featured Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole, alongside France’s Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade and French Nationals Abroad, Nicolas Forissier.
Tinubu commended Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede for coordinating the business council session, which brought together influential investors and executives from both countries.
Among those in attendance were leading African business figures including Aliko Dangote, Abdul Samad Rabiu, Tony Elumelu, Wale Tinubu, Kola Karim and Kashim Bukar. International executives present included Patrick Pouyanné and Rodolphe Saadé, as well as representatives from TotalEnergies, CMA CGM, Danone and Accor.
The President particularly welcomed a newly signed agreement between Accor and Shoreline Group aimed at launching Nigeria’s first national hotel platform. Tinubu described the initiative as a strong signal of confidence in Nigeria’s hospitality and tourism sectors.
“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,” Tinubu said.
He reiterated his administration’s commitment to creating a more attractive business environment through reforms designed to improve economic stability, productivity and competitiveness.
“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,” the President added.
The Africa Forward Summit took place from 11–12 May 2026 at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre and attracted more than 30 African leaders alongside major global business executives.
The summit was jointly hosted by Kenyan President William Ruto and French President Emmanuel Macron. It also marked the first edition of the long-running Africa-France forum to be staged in an English-speaking African country that was never colonised by France.
