President Bola Tinubu has returned to Abuja after spending 20 days abroad as part of his annual leave.
During the leave, the President attended the 2026 Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, where he witnessed the signing of a major trade agreement between Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates.
Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, confirmed the President’s return in a statement titled ‘President Tinubu returns to Nigeria after Abu Dhabi trip,’ issued on Saturday.
The President departed Nigeria for Paris on December 28, 2025, before proceeding to Abu Dhabi for the annual sustainability summit, which was held from January 11 to 15.
In 2025, Tinubu also attended the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, underscoring Nigeria’s sustained engagement with global discussions on climate action, energy transition and sustainable development.
On the sidelines of the 2026 summit, Nigeria and the UAE signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement aimed at strengthening bilateral economic ties.
The agreement grants duty-free access for thousands of Nigerian products into the UAE market and is designed 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.
The agreement was signed on behalf of Nigeria by the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, while the UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade, Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, signed for the Emirates.
Both President Tinubu and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan witnessed the signing ceremony.
Speaking after the agreement was signed, Oduwole said it would provide Nigerian exporters with greater access to global markets.
She added that Nigerian businesses would be able to establish offices and subsidiaries in the UAE, while business owners would also be eligible to 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 plans to mobilise up to $30bn annually in climate and green industrial finance as part of efforts to accelerate energy transition reforms and expand electricity access nationwide.
He disclosed that Nigeria’s Climate Investment Platform would mobilise $500m for climate-resilient infrastructure, while the National Climate Change Fund is targeting a $2bn capitalisation to support climate-related projects.
The President also announced that a joint Nigeria-UAE Investopia summit would be held in Lagos in February.
According to him, the summit is expected to bring together investors, innovators, policymakers and business leaders to explore investment opportunities and strengthen economic partnerships.
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.
