The Presidency has said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s participation at the 2026 Africa-France Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, is focused on advancing Nigeria’s economic reform agenda and strengthening investment partnerships across Africa.
Presidential spokesperson Daniel Bwala disclosed this while speaking with journalists on the sidelines of the summit in Nairobi, describing the gathering as strategically important for Nigeria and the continent.
Presidency links summit agenda to Renewed Hope reforms
According to Bwala, the summit comes at a period when many African nations are implementing reforms aimed at creating stronger investment climates and improving long-term economic growth.
He explained that President Tinubu considers the summit important because six out of the seven major discussion areas align with the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
The thematic areas include international financial restructuring, agriculture, artificial intelligence, blue economy, digital transformation, and broader economic reforms.
“For us as a country and of course the leading country in Africa in many respects, the President deems it a strategic meeting because six of the seven thematic areas happen to fall in line with the Renewed Hope policy programmes we started implementing from day one,” Bwala said.
Tinubu to showcase Nigeria’s economic reforms
The presidential spokesman pointed to Nigeria’s ongoing financial reforms, including the foreign exchange market unification policy, as part of measures designed to stabilise the economy and restore investor confidence.
“Take for example international financial restructuring, we have seen the restructuring taking place in Nigeria which has given confidence in the naira,” he stated.
Bwala also highlighted Nigeria’s growing use of artificial intelligence and digital technology, stressing that the country’s youthful population provides opportunities for innovation-driven economic expansion.
On agriculture, he noted that Nigeria’s vast arable land makes the country a strong destination for food production and agro-industrial investments.
Africa should reduce dependence on external support — Presidency
According to Bwala, one of the major goals of the summit is to encourage African countries to maximise their own resources and reduce dependence on foreign assistance.
“These are areas they intend to focus on and the whole concept of the summit is to create the sense that Africa by itself can create the economy it deserves rather than this dependency on the rest of the world,” he said.
He disclosed that Tinubu is expected to participate in three plenary sessions during the summit, where he will present Nigeria’s experiences in finance, agriculture, and the blue economy.
Bwala added that the President’s engagements would focus on creating mutually beneficial investments capable of generating sustainable returns while boosting economic development across Africa.
“Not just bringing investment to Nigeria or Africa, but participating in investments that guarantee returns on investment,” he explained.
Tinubu expected at Africa CEO Forum in Kigali
The Presidency further revealed that Tinubu will proceed to Kigali, Rwanda, later this week to attend the Africa CEO Forum as part of efforts to deepen economic partnerships across the continent.
“The President intends to move to Kigali to continue the conversation with African CEOs. It is strategic, important, and most of the thematic areas already align with what we are doing in Nigeria,” Bwala added.
The 2026 Africa-France Summit is themed “Africa Forward: Africa-France Partnerships for Innovation and Growth” and is expected to focus on climate action, industrialisation, energy transition, digital economy reforms, and global financial restructuring.