Tinubu departs Abuja Thursday for Japan, Brazil visits

President Bola Tinubu will depart Abuja on Thursday for official visits to Japan and Brazil, with a brief stopover in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Presidential spokesperson Mr Bayo Onanuga announced this in a statement issued Wednesday in Abuja.

In Japan, the President would participate in the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9), scheduled to hold in Yokohama from Aug. 20 to 22.

The conference, themed “Co-create Innovative Solutions with Africa,” would focus on economic transformation, private investment, and institutional development across the continent.

TICAD9 also aimed to promote a resilient and sustainable African society grounded in peace, stability, and human security.

During the summit, Onanuga said President Tinubu would attend plenary sessions and hold bilateral meetings with world leaders, as well as Japanese business executives.

He further noted that the President was expected to engage with CEOs of Japanese companies that already had, or were considering, investments in Nigeria.

TICAD, an initiative of the Japanese government launched in 1993, is co-hosted by the United Nations, UNDP, African Union Commission, and the World Bank.

The summit, held every three years, alternates between Japan and African countries. The last edition was hosted in Tunisia in 2022.

Following the summit in Japan, President Tinubu would proceed to Brasilia, Brazil, for a state visit from Aug. 24 to 25 at the invitation of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

While in Brazil, he is expected to hold bilateral talks with his host and participate in a business forum aimed at attracting Brazilian investment to Nigeria.

His delegation, comprising key ministers and senior officials, would explore economic partnerships and is expected to sign various agreements and Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with the Brazilian government.