President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday held a private working lunch with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace in Paris, as his 10-day working leave entered its fifth day.
Photos released by the State House showed both leaders warmly shaking hands before proceeding into the palace.
Tinubu is currently on the second tranche of his annual leave, which he is spending between France and the United Kingdom.
Wednesday’s meeting marked Tinubu’s seventh visit to Paris since assuming office in May 2023 and his first since attending the BRICS Summit in Brazil and the Tokyo International Conference on African Development in Japan earlier this year.
In the first nine months of 2025, Tinubu has embarked on 15 international trips across 11 countries, including summits, bilateral meetings, state visits, presidential inaugurations, and official leaves.
He began the year with a visit to Accra, Ghana, on January 6 for the inauguration of President John Dramani Mahama the following day. He later attended the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Summit in the UAE from January 12–16, where he held meetings with Gulf investors and officials on trade and energy cooperation.
From January 27–28, he was in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, for the Africa Heads of State Energy Summit.
In February, he travelled to France before heading to Ethiopia for the 37th African Union Summit, where discussions centered on regional security, climate change, and AfCFTA implementation.
Between April 2–21, Tinubu embarked on a two-week working visit to France and the UK.
In mid-May, he travelled to Vatican City for the historic inauguration of Pope Leo XIV.
From June 28 to July 4, he paid a state visit to Saint Lucia, where he addressed CARICOM leaders in Castries, before proceeding to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for the 17th BRICS Summit.
In July, Tinubu visited Japan for the Tokyo International Conference on African Development, where he met Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and engaged Japanese investors on maritime security and digital infrastructure.
He made a stopover in Dubai on August 15 before arriving in Yokohama on August 18, marking his second visit to the UAE this year.
In September, he embarked on a working vacation to the UK and France — his third visit to Paris and second to London this year.
