UAE President to visit Nigeria

United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has accepted President Bola Tinubu’s invitation to visit Nigeria this year.

Tinubu invited the UAE President during their bilateral talks on the sidelines of the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2025 on Wednesday night.

The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, made this known in a statement on Thursday, January 16, 2025.

Tinubu thanked Al Nahyan for the warm reception he and his aides received since their arrival over the weekend.

The president arrived in Abu Dhabi on Sunday as a guest of the UAE President to participate in Sustainability Week, a forum for exchanging ideas to support sustainable development worldwide and encourage collective action to address global challenges, such as climate change, water, and energy crises.

He delivered Nigeria’s position on climate and other challenges earlier on Wednesday and congratulated the UAE leader for the event.

Onanuga stated: “During the discussions, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan thanked the Nigerian leader for accepting his invitation and expressed the UAE’s determination to strengthen economic cooperation between Nigeria and his country.

“The two leaders also explored attracting investment into Nigeria.

Tinubu: Nigeria ready to work with other nations for growth

“President Tinubu said his government’s economic reforms are yielding fruits and called on the UAE to partner with Nigeria to develop the economy.”

Onanuga quoted Tinubu as saying that the reforms had stabilised and grown the economy, encouraging foreign investors, including international oil companies, to announce billion-dollar investments, signalling renewed confidence in doing business with Africa’s most populous nation.

According to him, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, and the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, accompanied Tinubu to the meeting at the Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental in Abu Dhabi.

Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Court for Special Affairs, H.H. Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan accompanied the UAE President.

The Star