KEY POINTS

• President Bola Tinubu held a private lunch meeting with Rwandan President Paul Kagame in Paris, where both leaders discussed global affairs and strategies to advance Africa’s shared interests.
• The meeting forms part of Tinubu’s engagements during his European trip, which comes ahead of his participation in the 2026 Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week Summit.
• Tinubu and Kagame have maintained close diplomatic ties since 2023, with Nigeria and Rwanda strengthening cooperation through bilateral agreements and regular high level meetings.

President Bola Tinubu on Sunday held a private lunch meeting with Rwandan President Paul Kagame in Paris, where both leaders exchanged views on global developments and strategies aimed at advancing Africa’s collective interests.

The meeting was disclosed by the Presidency through a photo release that showed the two leaders seated across a table at an upscale restaurant in the French capital, engaged in what officials described as a relaxed but focused conversation.

According to the Presidency, the discussion touched on world affairs and the need for African leaders to work together in shaping policies that support economic growth, political stability and stronger continental cooperation.

The Paris meeting took place about a week after Tinubu departed Lagos on December 28, 2025, for Europe to continue his annual vacation. His Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, had earlier confirmed the trip and said it would also precede an official engagement in the Middle East.

Tinubu Expected at Abu Dhabi

Tinubu is expected to attend the 2026 Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week Summit in early January at the invitation of United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The summit brings together political leaders, business executives and civil society figures to discuss sustainable development and climate action.

While the Presidency did not disclose the full itinerary of Tinubu’s European stay, the president has often spent parts of his annual leave in France and the United Kingdom.

Sunday’s meeting added to a series of interactions between Tinubu and Kagame since the Nigerian leader assumed office in May 2023. Kagame attended Tinubu’s inauguration in Abuja on May 29 of that year, a gesture that underscored the warm ties between both governments.

The two presidents also met in Abu Dhabi on January 13, 2025, on the eve of that year’s sustainability summit. After that encounter, Tinubu said Africa possessed the resources, people and capacity needed to drive its own development through stronger intra African trade and cooperation.

Nigeria and Rwanda have maintained cordial diplomatic relations since Rwanda gained independence in 1962. Both countries frequently support each other at the United Nations, the African Union and within the Commonwealth of Nations.

Bilateral ties have been reinforced through agreements such as air service arrangements that allow multiple weekly RwandAir flights to Abuja and Lagos, as well as technical cooperation that has seen Nigerian professionals deployed to Rwanda under the Technical Aids Corps programme.