Macron to visit Nigeria — French ambassador

French President Emmanuel Macron is set to make a state visit to Nigeria this fall, according to an announcement by the French Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Marc Fonbaustier. The visit is positioned as a significant opportunity for both nations to assess their deepening strategic partnership and to chart a course for future collaboration.

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Secondly, a scoop. I am pleased and honored to announce that, two years after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s State visit to Paris, the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, will travel to Nigeria for another State visit this fall.

Ambassador Fonbaustier revealed this anticipated visit during the celebration of France's National Day in Abuja. He noted that Macron's trip will occur two years after Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's state visit to Paris. "Together, our two Presidents will assess the progress of our roadmap and outline the key elements of our relationship for the years to come," Fonbaustier stated, anticipating ambitious and mutually beneficial outcomes for both populations.

Highlighting the foundation of the Nigeria-France relationship, the envoy stressed that it is built on equality, with both countries viewing each other as partners of equal standing. "In a chaotic world searching for meaning, I would like to talk to you about values. I would like to focus on the three values that accompanied the birth of the French Republic: Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity," he said. Fonbaustier proudly asserted that the partnership is genuinely one between equals, a principle he stated is fundamental to the United Nations Charter, which both Nigeria and France uphold.

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Together, our two Presidents will assess the progress of our roadmap and outline the key elements of our relationship for the years to come. These will undoubtedly be ambitious and mutually beneficial for our two peoples.

Fonbaustier elaborated that this equality translates into concrete actions within their bilateral relationship, emphasizing mutual listening, open communication, and joint decision-making, free from prejudice or imposition. He also pointed to shared goals in economic and social development, job creation, and environmental protection. Recent commercial partnerships, such as those involving Carrefour, Accor, and Canal+, were cited as evidence of growing economic ties that are set to enrich Nigeria's television landscape.

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First and foremost, Equality. I say this, and I say it with pride, that the partnership between Nigeria and France is, in reality, not just in words, a partnership between equals.