President Bola Tinubu on Sunday met privately with Rwandan President Paul Kagame for a lunch in Paris, France, where the two leaders discussed global affairs and strategies to advance Africa’s interests. The Presidency shared photos showing the leaders seated at a table in an upscale Parisian restaurant, engaged in conversation over a meal. “President Bola Tinubu at a private lunch in Paris with the President of the Republic of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, discussing world affairs and advancing Africa. Sunday, January 4, 2026,” the statement read. The meeting comes a week after Tinubu left Lagos on December 28, 2025, for his end-of-year break in Europe. His Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, had confirmed the trip, noting that it preceded the President’s official engagement at the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week Summit in early January 2026. Tinubu had been invited by UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to participate in the weeklong summit, which brings together leaders from government, business, and civil society to discuss sustainable development. While the Presidency did not specify all the European countries Tinubu would visit, he has historically spent parts of his annual leave in France and the United Kingdom. Sunday’s lunch continues a series of engagements between Nigeria and Rwanda. Since assuming office in May 2023, Tinubu has maintained a close working relationship with Kagame, who attended his inauguration in Abuja. The two leaders also met in Abu Dhabi on January 13, 2025, ahead of that year’s Sustainability Week Summit, with Tinubu describing their discussions as “meaningful conversations” aimed at boosting intra-African trade and collaboration. Nigeria and Rwanda have enjoyed cordial relations since Rwanda’s independence in 1962, supporting one another in forums such as the United Nations, African Union, and Commonwealth of Nations. Bilateral agreements, including a Bilateral Air Service Agreement enabling multiple RwandAir flights weekly to Abuja and Lagos, as well as the Technical Aids Corps program, have strengthened the partnership. Tinubu’s European trip has drawn criticism from opposition parties, including the African Democratic Congress and Labour Party, who condemned the President for leaving Nigeria while the country faces rising insecurity, including foreign military interventions in the North. According to tallies by PUNCH Online, Tinubu made 10 foreign trips in 2025 alone, spanning Africa, Europe, Asia, the Caribbean, and South America, with focus on economic diplomacy, climate discussions, regional cooperation, and bilateral engagements. Since taking office on May 29, 2023, he has undertaken at least 46 foreign trips, spending approximately 192 days abroad as of October 2025.
