President Bola Tinubu has returned to Abuja after attending the 2026 Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, where he witnessed the signing of a trade agreement between Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, confirmed the President’s return in a statement released on Saturday.
The statement was titled “President Tinubu Returns to Nigeria After Abu Dhabi Trip.”
President Tinubu had departed Nigeria for Paris on Sunday, December 28, 2025, to spend the remaining part of his annual leave before proceeding to Abu Dhabi for the summit, which held from January 11 to 15.
In 2025, the President also attended the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week.
On the sidelines of the summit, Nigeria and the UAE signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).
The agreement grants duty-free access to thousands of Nigerian products in the UAE market and is expected to deepen economic cooperation, boost bilateral trade and investment, enhance technology transfer, and expand collaboration across key sectors, including energy, infrastructure, agriculture, mining, and renewable energy.
Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, signed the agreement on behalf of Nigeria, while the UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade, Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, signed for the Emirates. President Tinubu and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan witnessed the signing.
Speaking after the ceremony, Oduwole said the agreement would provide Nigerian exporters with a gateway to global markets.
She noted that Nigerian businesses would be able to open offices and subsidiaries in the UAE, while business owners could stay in the country for up to 90 days within a 12-month period.
In his address at the summit, President Tinubu announced that Nigeria aims to mobilise up to 30 billion dollars annually in climate and green industrial finance to accelerate energy transition reforms and expand electricity access nationwide.
He disclosed that Nigeria’s Climate Investment Platform would mobilise 500 million dollars for climate-resilient infrastructure, while the National Climate Change Fund is targeting a capitalisation of two billion dollars.
The President also announced that a joint Nigeria-UAE Investopia Summit would be held in Lagos in February.
The event is expected to bring together investors, innovators, policymakers, and business leaders to explore investment opportunities in Nigeria.
The Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week is an annual global initiative convened by the UAE to promote dialogue on sustainability, climate action, and energy transition.
The 2026 edition, themed “The Nexus of Next: All Systems Go,” focused on the integration required for sustainable transitions across finance, technology, energy, and human capital.
