Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu begins a three day state visit to France this Thursday, the first of its kind by a Nigerian leader in more than two decades, as Paris seeks to boost ties with English-speaking Africa.
Military coups and shifting allegiances have reduced France’s influence on the African continent, with several countries turning their backs on their former colonial ruler and increasingly frosty towards the European Union.
Which makes Tinubu’s visit to France a positive sign for President Emmanuel Macron, who has sought a “renewal” between Paris and the African continent since his 2017 election.
According to the Elysée Palace, Tinubu’s visit – the first by a Nigerian head of state since 2000 – is “an opportunity to deepen the already dynamic relationship between France and Nigeria”,
Nigeria is the continent’s leading oil producer and has a thriving film industry but challenges posed by insecurity and corruption have left 129 million Nigerians – more than half the country’s population – living below the poverty line.
For Nigeria, the visit represents an opportunity to tap economic investment, and Tinubu and Macron are set to meet at the Franco-Nigerian Business Council, a forum designed “to develop new partnerships between the economic players in both countries”.
“We have an open-door policy, and we want your investors to take advantage of it,” the Nigerian president told France’s ambassador in early November, calling Macron his “good friend”.
Colonial history
(with AFP)
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