As President Bola Tinubu goes to Paris, France, By Simbo Olorunfemi & Ade Adefeko

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu shall be visiting France in a couple of days to be hosted by French President, Emmanuel Macron on a State Go to. Whereas President Tinubu has visited France at completely different instances since he assumed workplace, many of the journeys have been non-public. Nevertheless, his first official overseas journey in June 2023, lower than a month after his inauguration, was to Paris to attend the “Summit on New International Financing Pact” to deliberate on the way to repositionglobal monetary structure in consideration of much less developed nations coping with debt hangover, results of local weather change and COVID-19, and battling power transition. The summit was hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron, who warmly acquired President Tinubu on that go to.

This journey to France is, nonetheless, completely different in a couple of respects. Not solely is it a state go to, which is a proper go to by the pinnacle of a sovereign nation on the invitation of the pinnacle of state of one other sovereign nation, which is taken into account to be the best expression of pleasant relations between two nations, that is the primary such go to in 24 years by a Nigerian chief. The final state go to by a Nigerian chief to France was by President Olusegun Obasanjo in February 2020.

It’s early days but, however maybe we have already got a sign that the efforts invested by President Tinubu in his position because the Chief Diplomat, with the a number of overseas journeys he has made, are starting to yield fruits.  It might effectively be that Nigeria and France have come to a renewed realisation of the significance of robust bilateral relations between the 2 nations, with an attention-grabbing previous behind them, a compelling current earlier than them, and immense prospects for the long run.

The historic nature of the Nigeria-France relations, characterised by upheavals and mutual suspicion, has been generously documented and interrogated by students of Nigeria’s overseas coverage. Nevertheless, as we argued in our 2021 intervention, aside from different areas in which there’s a convergence of pursuits between the 2, Nigeria and France should work with the thoughts that they’re clearly the 2 strongest pursuits in West Africa, which predisposes them to rub themselves the improper manner. However the time has come for them to seek out lodging for one another’s pursuits and chart a mutually useful course for themselves, particularly in heralding peace within the Sahel and different troubled components of the area.

There was an uptick within the relationship between Nigeria and France in recent times, presumably out of mutual love and respect between Nigeria’s quick previous President, Muhammadu Buhari and Emmanuel Macron of France, who has a private relationship with Nigeria stemming from his stint as an intern within the nation.

Commerce relations have been on an upward swing between considered one of Europe’s largest economies and considered one of Africa’s largest economies, extending past oil to agriculture, finance, power companies, and know-how. Nigeria is France’s main buying and selling companion in sub-Saharan Africa, and the fourth-largest in Africa, solely behind Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, which had been French colonies in Africa. Traditionally, France has been a significant purchaser of uncooked supplies from Nigeria, accounting for 20 per cent of France’s commerce with sub-Saharan Africa, amounting to €3.53 billion, in 2021. Within the first quarter of 2024, France emerged as Nigeria’s largest commerce companion, surpassing Spain and the USA for the primary time in recent times, with French imports from Nigeria rising to $1.4 billion, accounting for 11.05 per cent of Nigeria’s whole exports, forward of Spain, which had led for the previous 5 years, and the USA, solidifying France’s place as Nigeria’s high commerce companion.

Whereas petroleum merchandise have dominated French imports from Nigeria through the years, standing at 95 per cent in 2021, it has scaled right down to 88 per cent as of the primary quarter of 2024. French overseas direct funding in Nigeria has doubled in a decade, placing it forward of the UK and the USA of America, with round 100 French corporations working in numerous sectors of the financial system. For the Tinubu Administration which has made the drive for overseas funding the centrepiece of its diplomatic drive, with the President because the Diplomat-in-chief, this go to couldn’t have been higher structured with the agency integration of main Nigerian enterprise pursuits, corresponding to BUA, Olam, unarguably Nigeria largest Nigeria Agri- Enterprise and Meals Firm, Milk Large Danone of France as a part of the Non-public Enterprise delegation. It’s good to see the extent of progress in just a few years by the France-Nigeria Enterprise Council, launched in 2018 to carry collectively main French and Nigerian corporations that want to launch funding partnerships.

This go to ought to function an avenue to additional strengthen safety and defence cooperation agreements between the 2 nations, deepening present help to Nigeria’s safety forces not solely with the Multinational Joint Activity Pressure (MNJTF) within the battle in opposition to Boko Haram and terrorist actions round and past the Lake Chad area, in addition to in Nigeria’s north-west, whereas enhancing efforts at bettering maritime safety, particularly alongside the Gulf of Guinea, to curb the completely different illicit actions in that area.

It isn’t sufficient, nonetheless, to hunt help overseas with out taking time to place our home so as. There may be work to be achieved inside to carry to fruition good points from agreements signed throughout visits of this nature. With Dr. Jumoke Oduwole because the Minister of Commerce and Funding, it’s hoped that the Nigerian enterprise atmosphere will expertise important enchancment given the work she did with the Presidential Enabling Enterprise Setting Council (PEBEC) which was established in 2016 by President Muhammadu Buhari “to make Nigeria a progressively simpler place to do enterprise by eradicating bureaucratic constraints to doing enterprise in Nigeria, in addition to bettering the notion of buyers and stakeholders in regards to the Nigerian enterprise terrain” credited with reforms that resulted in enchancment in Nigeria’s rating on the “Ease of Doing Enterprise Index.”

It’s over a 12 months already, since President Tinubu recalled Excessive Commissioners and Ambassadors from their obligation posts. Within the case of France, it’s barely longer, as Nigeria’s final Ambassador to France and exemplary diplomat, Kayode Laro, handed in August final 12 months. It’s no use having the President put within the shift, and doing the groundwork when there are not any Ambassadors within the missions to see by with the good points made. The Prices d’Affaires can solely achieve this a lot, with diplomatic protocols denying them privileges accorded Ambassadors. For example, they will’t meet with Presidents and Ministers. Nigeria can not take full benefit of the advantages that accrue from such a go to with out an envoy in place. The Diplomat-in-Chief will do effectively to make the appointments now in order that what generally turns into a prolonged course of that culminates within the presentation of letters of credence can begin in earnest.

There may be hardly a greater time and alternative to reset and strengthen the connection between the 2 nations than now. President Macron’s affinity and historical past with Nigeria all the time come to the fore. When President Bola Tinubu visited Paris final 12 months, the reception between him and the French President, Emmanuel Macron, was heat, like one between previous mates. We should discover a strategy to construct on what we’ve going between us to the good thing about each nations and the troubled area. The historic nature of this go to speaks for itself, we should make one of the best of it

There isn’t a doubt that it’s an more and more interdependent world, which suggests that each nation should discover methods to prioritise cooperation and collaboration, let go of mutual suspicion, and key into the alternatives on the market for the good thing about residents (people and corporates) of the 2 nations who’ve a lot in frequent in order that the spirit of liberte, egalite and fraternite would possibly prevail.

Simbo Olorunfemi is a Specialist on Nigeria’s Overseas Coverage and Managing Editor of Africa Enterprise, whereas Ade Adefeko is Director Company and Regulatory Affairs Olam Agri, Chairman, Industrial Group,  Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Business (LCCI) and Honorary Consul of Botswana in Lagos.