President Bola Tinubu held a private lunch with Rwandan President Paul Kagame on Sunday in Paris, France, where the two leaders discussed global issues and strategies to advance Africa’s development.
The Presidency shared photos of the meeting, showing Tinubu and Kagame seated at a table in what appeared to be 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 departed Lagos on December 28, 2025, for his end-of-year break in Europe. His Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, 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 chart the future of sustainable development.
While the Presidency did not specify all the European countries Tinubu would visit, he has historically spent portions of his annual leave in France and the United Kingdom.
The lunch also reflects the strong working relationship between Nigeria and Rwanda. Kagame attended Tinubu’s inauguration in Abuja in May 2023, and the two leaders previously met in Abu Dhabi on January 13, 2025, ahead of that year’s Sustainability Week Summit. Tinubu described that earlier meeting as “meaningful conversations” focused on strengthening intra-African trade and cooperation.
Nigeria and Rwanda have maintained cordial relations since Rwanda’s independence in 1962, collaborating in multilateral forums such as the United Nations, African Union, and Commonwealth of Nations. The partnership has been bolstered through 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 that has seen Nigerian professionals deployed to Rwanda.
Tinubu’s latest European trip has drawn criticism from opposition parties, including the African Democratic Congress and Labour Party, who argued that leaving the country amid rising insecurity and foreign military interventions in the North was ill-timed.
According to PUNCH Online, Tinubu made 10 foreign trips in 2025, spanning Africa, Europe, Asia, the Caribbean, and South America, focusing on economic diplomacy, climate talks, regional cooperation, and bilateral engagement. Since taking office on May 29, 2023, he has undertaken at least 46 foreign trips, spending an estimated 192 days abroad as of October 2025.