Trending 
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu met with French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday for a private dinner at the Élysée Palace in Paris, France, in another high-level engagement between the two leaders.
The meeting was disclosed on Friday, September 18, 2026, by Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, who shared photographs from the dinner.
According to Onanuga, the engagement reflected the longstanding relationship between Nigeria and France and their shared commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation.
Photographs released from the meeting showed Tinubu and Macron together at the Élysée Palace, with French First Lady Brigitte Macron also appearing in one of the images.
The Presidency did not immediately release a detailed account of specific agreements or policy decisions arising from the private dinner. Therefore, the meeting is best characterised at this stage as a bilateral engagement rather than an announced negotiation or formal summit.
Tinubu is currently in France as part of the second leg of his three-week annual leave in Europe. He departed Abuja on August 30, initially travelling to London before proceeding to Paris. The Presidency had said he would return to Abuja after the vacation.
The latest meeting continues a series of engagements between Tinubu and Macron. Their governments have maintained discussions covering economic cooperation, investment and wider bilateral relations. Tinubu also met global investors in Paris earlier in 2026 as his administration sought additional international investment into Nigeria.
Tinubu and Macron have also worked together in broader Africa-focused engagements. In May 2026, Macron co-hosted the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi with Kenyan President William Ruto, which Tinubu attended.
The Thursday dinner therefore adds another chapter to the continuing diplomatic relationship between Abuja and Paris. What remains to be seen is whether the private engagement will be followed by specific announcements on investment, trade or other areas of Nigeria-France cooperation.
