ABUJA, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)-President Bola Tinubu has returned to Abuja following his participation in the 2026 Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, where he witnessed the signing of a 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 released on Saturday.
The statement is titled “President Tinubu returns to Nigeria after Abu Dhabi trip.”
The President left Nigeria for Paris on Sunday, December 28, 2025, to complete the remaining portion of his annual leave, before proceeding to Abu Dhabi for the annual summit, which took place from January 11 to 15.
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Notably, he also attended the same summit in 2025. On the sidelines of the event, Nigeria and the UAE signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.
The agreement provides duty-free access for thousands of Nigerian products into the UAE market and seeks 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.”
Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment Dr. Jumoke Oduwole signed on behalf of Nigeria, while 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 were witnesses to the signing.
Following the ceremony, Oduwole stated that the agreement would provide Nigerian exporters a “gateway to global markets.” She added 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 to the summit, President Tinubu revealed that Nigeria aims to mobilise “up to $30bn 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 “$500m for climate-resilient infrastructure,”
while the National Climate Change Fund targets a “$2bn capitalisation.” The President also announced that a joint Nigeria-UAE Investopia summit would be held in Lagos in February.
The summit 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 organised by the UAE to foster discussions 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.