President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will now depart Abuja on Sunday, May 3, 2026, for his planned three-nation tour of France, Kenya and Rwanda, following a last-minute adjustment to his travel schedule.
The update was provided on Saturday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, revising an earlier announcement that the trip would commence on May 2.
According to the Presidency, Tinubu’s first stop will be in France before proceeding to Nairobi to participate in the Africa-France Summit scheduled for May 11 to 12.
The summit, co-chaired by Emmanuel Macron and William Ruto, will focus on key global priorities including energy transition, green industrialisation, digital transformation, climate action, and the restructuring of the global financial architecture.
Onanuga stated that “President Tinubu’s participation… will underscore Nigeria’s unwavering commitment to strengthening strategic partnerships with African nations and the French Republic.”
He added that the summit, themed “Africa Forward: Africa-France Partnerships for Innovation and Growth,” will serve as a platform for leaders to address pressing issues such as economic transformation, infrastructure development, youth empowerment, and peace-building across the continent.
After the Nairobi engagement, the President will travel to Kigali for the Africa CEO Forum, scheduled for May 14 to 15.
Describing the event, Onanuga said, “With the theme ‘Scale or Fail’, this year’s Africa CEO Forum will be the largest gathering of African private sector leaders, investors, and policymakers, focusing on accelerating economic transformation through shared scale, regional integration, and increased cross-border investment.”
He noted that the forum, organised in partnership with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), will bring together over 2,000 business leaders and policymakers to discuss strategies for building resilient and competitive industries.
“At the two summits, President Tinubu will deliver statements highlighting his administration’s ongoing reforms to reposition the nation as a prime destination for investment and growth,” Onanuga said, adding that the President would also hold high-level meetings with global and African business leaders.
The President will be accompanied on the trip by senior government officials and is expected to return to Nigeria after the Rwanda engagement.
