President Bola Tinubu has arrived in Kigali, Rwanda, to participate in the Africa CEO Forum 2026.
He was received by Rwandan President Paul Kagame at the Urugwiro Presidential Village.
Videos of his arrival posted by news corespondents on Wednesday show Tinubu descending the stairs of a Nigerian Air Force aircraft onto a red carpet at the Presidential Wing of the Kigali International Airport.
He was received by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu and Rwanda’s Minister of Defence, Juvenal Marizamunda.
Others who came to receive the President included the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ambassador Mohammed Mohammed, the Nigerian Chargé d’Affaires in Rwanda, Ambassador Ibrahim Zanna and the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare.
In a subsequent ceremony, Kagame personally welcomed Tinubu.
The two leaders walked together along a ceremonial red carpet lined with honour guards before moving indoors for bilateral discussions.
They were later seen seated side by side in a formal meeting room flanked by the flags of Nigeria and Rwanda.
The two-day Africa CEO Forum, scheduled for 14–15 May at the Kigali Convention Centre, is Africa’s largest annual private sector gathering.
This year’s edition, themed “Scale or Fail: Why Africa must embrace shared ownership,” is expected to attract over 2,000 CEOs, investors, policymakers, and six African heads of state.
In a statement issued after his arrival on Wednesday, Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to the President, Mr Bayo Onanuga, said Tinubu will speak on “Holding the Line: Nigeria’s Reform Bet in a Fractured World,” highlighting the gains of sustaining Nigeria’s bold reforms, among other topics.
Onanuga said, “The President will also hold high-level bilateral meetings with top global and African business leaders while reaffirming Nigeria’s leadership role in shaping the continent’s future.
“President Tinubu will use the occasion of the summit to reaffirm Nigeria’s commitment to advancing African unity, deepening regional economic cooperation, and fostering strategic partnerships to accelerate private sector-driven sustainable development across the continent.”
The forum marks part of a three-nation tour by the president, which started in France.
From 11 to 12 May, he attended the Africa–France Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, co-chaired by Presidents Emmanuel Macron (French) and William Ruto (Kenya).
After the Rwanda forum, Tinubu is expected to return to Nigeria ahead of the APC presidential primary scheduled for May 23.