Tinubu hosts Madagascar President Randrianirina in Abuja, deepens talks on trade energy

President Bola Tinubu on Monday received the President of Madagascar, Michael Randrianirina, at the State House in Abuja, in a high-level diplomatic engagement aimed at strengthening bilateral ties and advancing continental cooperation on trade and energy development.

Randrianirina arrived at the Presidential Villa at about 2:57 p.m., where he was formally received by Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, before being escorted to President Bola Tinubu’s office for closed-door discussions.

Although details of the meeting were not immediately disclosed, officials said the talks were part of ongoing diplomatic engagements between both leaders, focusing on African solidarity, economic cooperation, and regional development priorities.

The Abuja meeting marks another round of high-level consultations between Nigeria and Madagascar, as both countries deepen collaboration on key continental issues.

In previous engagements, both leaders met on the sidelines of the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi, where they reportedly discussed trade expansion, economic integration, and broader African cooperation frameworks.

Odumegwu-Ojukwu noted that those discussions emphasized the need for stronger African unity in addressing shared economic challenges and unlocking intra-continental trade opportunities.

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Earlier in January, Tinubu and Randrianirina also met in Dar es Salaam during the Mission 300 Africa Energy Summit, where they joined other African leaders in signing a declaration aimed at expanding electricity access to 300 million people across Africa by 2030.

The Mission 300 initiative, which both Nigeria and Madagascar support, is part of broader continental efforts to address Africa’s significant energy deficit through investments in power infrastructure, renewable energy, and cross-border energy cooperation.

Diplomatic sources said Monday’s meeting is expected to further strengthen collaboration on energy transition, infrastructure development, and trade facilitation between both countries.

Nigeria has continued to position itself as a key driver of regional integration and economic cooperation under President Tinubu’s administration, with renewed emphasis on strengthening ties with African partners.

Officials at the State House described the meeting as part of Nigeria’s broader foreign policy strategy to promote shared prosperity, enhance investment flows, and support continental development frameworks under the African Union agenda.

While no formal communiqué had been issued at the time of filing this report, diplomatic observers say the recurring engagements between Tinubu and Randrianirina signal a growing partnership focused on energy security, trade expansion, and Africa-wide development initiatives.

Analysts note that such bilateral meetings are increasingly shaping Africa’s push toward economic self-reliance, particularly in critical sectors such as power generation, infrastructure development, and intra-African trade integration.