Nigeria has reaffirmed its commitment to building stronger international partnerships, with President Bola Tinubu using the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) in Japan to drive home his government’s agenda of renewed diplomacy and investment attraction.
Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, who accompanied the president to Yokohama, said the administration’s strategy goes beyond rhetoric, stressing that Tinubu’s personal involvement in international engagements reflects Nigeria’s determination to regain influence in global affairs.
“The first thing we should appreciate is the tremendous capacity Mr. President is bringing to bear to diplomacy. He came to Japan to participate in TICAD9, and from here he is going to Brazil. That tells Nigerians how much personal effort he’s putting in to lead Nigeria’s diplomacy, to ensure that we get investment and to ensure that Nigeria regains its status in its place of pride in the world. So this is highly commendable,” Bagudu told reporters on Friday.
He explained that TICAD9 underscored the growing convergence between Africa and Japan on sustainable development, trade, and shared prosperity. According to him, the conference also reinforced the principle that meaningful growth must be collaborative. “Both sides acknowledged that true development is about humanity working together and sharing prosperity rather than perpetuating dominance,” Bagudu noted.
The minister linked Nigeria’s active participation at TICAD9 to Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which prioritises partnerships with nations and institutions that respect Nigeria’s sovereignty and share its aspirations for inclusive progress. “The Renewed Hope Agenda is saying that we want to relate with those who respect us, those with whom we share common conceptions of development, and he’s ready to go the extra mile to ensure that it is a win-win situation,” Bagudu said.
He added that Nigeria remains committed to multilateral cooperation under the United Nations system, with emphasis on boosting trade, promoting inclusive economic growth, and strengthening the collective management of international affairs.
Bagudu’s remarks in Yokohama came at the close of a week in which President Tinubu engaged world leaders and development partners, projecting Nigeria’s determination to position itself as a key player in shaping Africa’s development and global diplomacy.
