President Bola Tinubu arrived in Tokyo yesterday for the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9), scheduled to begin tomorrow in Yokohama.
His plane landed at the Haneda International Airport around 12:55am local time, where he was received by Japanese Ambassador Hideo Matsubara and Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Ambassador Yusuf Tugga.
The conference, last held in Tunisia in 2022, will run until Friday, August 22 under the theme “Co-create Innovative Solutions with Africa” and is expected to focus on Africa’s economic transformation through investment, innovation, and stronger institutions.
During the summit, President Tinubu will participate in plenary sessions, hold bilateral meetings with world leaders, and engage Japanese business executives exploring opportunities in Nigeria.
TICAD, launched by Japan in 1993 and co-hosted with the UN, AU, and World Bank, is held every three years.
After the conference, the President will proceed to Brazil on a state visit from August 24 to 25 for talks with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the Nigeria–Brazil Business Forum, and the signing of new agreements to boost bilateral cooperation.