Premium Times reported that the France-Nigeria Business Forum in Lagos was postponed after French President Emmanuel Macron’s planned Nigeria visit was delayed, putting off a scheduled meeting for companies from both countries.
The council had set the forum for Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026, the newspaper reported, citing an email sent to participants. In the email, the council said the state visit is now expected in 2027 and that revised forum arrangements would be shared after they are confirmed. The email gave no replacement date. Premium Times described the meeting as an effort to deepen commercial ties between French and Nigerian firms.
Agence France-Presse (AFP) and TheCable also reported that the trip was postponed, citing unnamed French presidential sources. The accounts differ on responsibility: Premium Times said the council email described a joint decision by the presidents, while AFP and TheCable reported that Macron postponed the trip. Their reports also gave different dates. AFP placed the planned Nigeria and Senegal itinerary on Oct. 28-31, while TheCable listed Oct. 28-29 for the Nigeria visit. TheCable linked the delay to protests and unrest in France. AFP said its source described the trip as focused on diplomacy and cooperation but did not name protests as the reason.
The Élysée said the France-Nigeria Business Council was arranged alongside Nigerian President Bola Tinubu’s state visit to France on Nov. 28-29, 2024, to build business partnerships between the countries.
FrenchWeek 2026’s calendar lists Lagos programming through Nov. 6, including an energy roundtable on Nov. 2, a French Tech Summit on Nov. 3 and an agribusiness summit on Nov. 4. The calendar does not say whether those events will go ahead. The council email, as reported by Premium Times, said it would share revised forum arrangements once confirmed but gave no date for an update.
