United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan is scheduled to visit Nigeria in 2025, according to presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga.
In a statement, Onanuga revealed that President Bola Tinubu extended the invitation to the UAE leader during their bilateral discussions on Wednesday evening, held on the sidelines of the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2025.
President Tinubu arrived in Abu Dhabi on Sunday as a guest of the UAE President to participate in the forum, which promotes collaborative efforts to tackle global challenges, including climate change, and water and energy crises.
Onanuga noted that the UAE President expressed gratitude to Tinubu for accepting the invitation and reaffirmed his country’s commitment to enhancing economic cooperation with Nigeria.
The two leaders also explored attracting investment into Nigeria. “President Tinubu said his government’s economic reforms are yielding fruits and called on the UAE to partner with Nigeria to develop the economy,” the presidential spokesman said.
According to Bayo Onanuga, President Bola Tinubu expressed gratitude to Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan for the warm reception accorded to him and his delegation since their arrival in Abu Dhabi over the weekend.
Tinubu was accompanied to the meeting at the Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental by Minister of Foreign Affairs Yusuf Tuggar, Minister of Finance Wale Edun, and National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu.
The UAE President was joined by Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed 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; and H.H. Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Other UAE officials present at the meeting included Reem bint Ebrahim Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation; Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology; and Salem Saeed Al Shamsi, UAE Ambassador to Nigeria.