Creative, enterprising and committed to reforms: thus the President of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu, should endeavor to portray his country during his state visit to France, Thursday 28 and Friday 29 November. A narrative which will undoubtedly be welcomed with kindness in Paris, where we wish to make this African giant a privileged partner on the continent.
Having found itself in difficulty in its former territory of former French-speaking colonies, Paris intends to rely on English-speaking Nigeria to conquer new markets and reposition its interests. The country has been shaken for several months by an economic crisis of rare intensity, but it retains attractions: the largest population on the continent, with some 223 million people, a class of prosperous entrepreneurs among the richest in the world. Africa, vast oil reserves, but also remarkable dynamism in new technologies, audiovisual and music.
Nigeria alone accounts for 60% of the gross domestic product of the Economic Community of West African States, the regional bloc of which Bola Tinubu currently holds the rotating presidency. “Despite its difficulties, Nigeria remains an essential heavyweight in the region. France needs him on a large number of subjects”underlines Benjamin Augé, researcher at the Africa center of the French Institute of International Relations.
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Moreover, the “Nigerian turning point” was outlined very early on by Emmanuel Macron. The legacy, among other things, of a special relationship that the French president maintains with this country where he chose to carry out his enarque internship in 2002.
Around a hundred companies established
To strengthen ties, a Franco-Nigerian economic council was launched in 2018, during a visit by Mr. Macron to Nigeria. This includes the country's most famous businessmen, including the cement and hydrocarbons magnate Aliko Dangote, his competitor and boss of the BUA group Abdul Samad Rabiu, and the boss of Access Bank, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede.
Billionaires courted by Emmanuel Macron, who invited them to Versailles in May to the Choose France summit. A meeting of the business council on Thursday, November 28, in which the French president and his Nigerian counterpart will participate, will also be one of the high points of the state visit.
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Nigeria is already France's leading trading partner in sub-Saharan Africa. And nearly 100 French companies are established there – there were only around fifty in 2010 – employing just over 10,000 people. The big names are present: TotalEnergies, the leading French investor with oil and gas projects valued at some 6 billion dollars (5.7 billion euros) for the coming years, but also the shipowner CMA CGM, the cosmetics giant L'Oréal, or even the food group Danone.
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