For the first time in 24 years, a Nigerian President began a state visit to France on Thursday to boost economic ties and attract foreign investments.
The visit is symbolic to Nigeria's leadership as it marks the first appearance of a sitting president at Champs-Élysées in two decades.
Bola Tinubu chaired meetings at the Elysée Palace aimed at bolstering his country's position as a top trade partner for France.
"We've been working on stabilizing the security system in Nigeria, and we are getting closer and closer. We are doing better now in the area of security. I assure all the investors here that Nigeria is open for business and I thank you for your collaboration," Tinubu said.
France's Emmanuel Macron is pushing to expand his country’s strategic ties beyond its traditional sphere of influence in the wake of a series of coups and power shifts that have seen several countries from Mali to Niger move away from their former colonial ruler.
France is seeking to strengthen economic ties with Africa, as the visit sets up the two presidents for meetings at the “Franco-Nigerian Business Council” forum.
"To us, economic partnerships place France as a partner in the long run to work, with you, on your country's food safety, the extraction and value maximization of the critical ore your country has, and as a partner, with our industries, in your defense and security strategy - that's three priorities we want to commit to," Macron said.
Ties between France and the continent are beginning to falter after Niger’s military junta banned the French aid group Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development, or Acted, from working in the country in mid-November.
The Ministry of the Interior signed a decree withdrawing the nonprofit organization’s license to operate, without providing reasons for the decision.
