By Ajibola Olaide, JKNewsMedia Reporter
PRESIDENT BOLA Tinubu will travel on Thursday for official visits to Japan and Brazil, with a brief stopover in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, according to a statement issued by presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga.
His first engagement will be in Yokohama, Japan, where he will participate in the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) from 20 to 22 August.
The conference, themed “Co-create Innovative Solutions with Africa”, is set to focus on accelerating Africa’s economic transformation, improving business environments and institutions through private sector investment and innovation, and fostering a sustainable and resilient African society underpinned by human security, peace, and stability.
The statement confirmed that, in addition to the official plenary sessions, President Tinubu will hold bilateral meetings with leaders from participating nations and meet with chief executives of Japanese companies with investments in Nigeria.
These engagements are expected to advance Nigeria’s economic cooperation with Japan and explore new partnership opportunities.
TICAD was initiated in 1993 by the Government of Japan and is co-hosted by the United Nations, the United Nations Development Programme, the African Union Commission, and the World Bank. The conference is held every three years, alternating between Japan and Africa.
The last edition, TICAD8, was held in Tunisia in August 2022.
Following the conclusion of the conference in Japan, President Tinubu will proceed to Brasília, the capital of Brazil, for a two-day state visit from 24 to 25 August at the invitation of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
While in Brazil, the Nigerian leader will hold bilateral discussions with President Lula, aimed at strengthening diplomatic and economic ties between the two countries.
The visit will also feature a business forum involving Brazilian investors, where opportunities for trade and investment collaboration will be explored.
The presidential delegation to Brazil will include key ministers and senior government officials.
Their mission will be to identify areas of mutual benefit and to formalise partnerships through the signing of agreements and Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with the Brazilian government.
According to the statement, both the Japan and Brazil visits align with Nigeria’s broader diplomatic strategy of building stronger economic partnerships, attracting foreign investment, and engaging in high-level policy dialogue with international partners.
The inclusion of private sector forums in both destinations underscores the administration’s emphasis on investment-led development as a driver of economic growth and stability.
The trip will also allow Nigeria to reaffirm its role in multilateral engagements such as TICAD, where African nations and development partners collaborate on strategies for the continent’s sustainable development.
Through the bilateral and business meetings planned in both countries, the administration aims to secure tangible economic outcomes that will support Nigeria’s national development priorities.
The official statement indicated that the President’s departure from Abuja is scheduled for Thursday, 14 August.
The engagements in Japan and Brazil will span a total of ten days, including the Dubai stopover.
