Tinubu Heads to Europe Ahead of Abu Dhabi Summit

President Bola Tinubu has departed Lagos for Europe, marking the commencement of a multi-leg international journey that will culminate in a high-level official visit to the United Arab Emirates. The President’s departure, confirmed on Sunday, December 28, 2025, serves as a bridge between his end-of-year break and a major diplomatic engagement on the global sustainability stage.

According to a statement from the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the European leg of the trip precedes the President’s participation in the 2026 Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) Summit. While the specific European destination was not officially disclosed, it has become a customary transit point for the Nigerian leader before major international summits in the Middle East.

The invitation for the Abu Dhabi visit came directly from the UAE President, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The week-long summit, scheduled for early January 2026, is a premier annual event that mobilizes a powerful coalition of government heads, corporate titans, and civil society leaders. Together, they aim to blueprint the next era of global sustainable development and climate resilience.

The 2026 edition of the summit carries the forward-leaning theme, ‘The Nexus of Next: All Systems Go.’ This year’s focus is particularly ambitious, aiming to forge a definitive link between high-level policy ambition and on-the-ground action. Discussions are expected to center on three critical pillars: innovation, finance, and human capital, as the world looks for faster pathways to inclusive progress.

For President Tinubu, the summit presents a strategic platform to align Nigeria’s economic diversification goals with global green energy trends. As the leader of Africa’s most populous nation, his presence at the ADSW 2026 is seen as a key move to attract sustainable investment and climate finance to Nigeria’s burgeoning infrastructure projects.

The President’s itinerary suggests a busy start to the new year, with the Abu Dhabi Summit serving as his first major diplomatic outing of 2026. The Presidency has indicated that Tinubu will return to Nigeria immediately following the conclusion of the summit’s high-level sessions.

This trip follows a series of recent domestic and international maneuvers aimed at stabilizing the Nigerian economy and securing foreign direct investment. By engaging with global sustainability leaders in Abu Dhabi, the President is positioning Nigeria as a serious player in the transition toward renewable energy and sustainable finance.

As 2025 draws to a close, the Presidential travel signals a focus on long-term international partnerships. The ADSW Summit has historically been a venue for launching landmark energy deals, and Nigerian officials are hopeful that this visit will yield similar results for the country’s power and technology sectors.