President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has received President Romuald Wadagni of the Republic of Benin, who in Nigeria on a formal state visit. He arrived the country on Sunday, May 31, for his first bilateral visit since taking office on May 24.

The trip signals how high Benin ranks its partnership with Nigeria as Wadagni sets his foreign policy agenda for the new presidential term. Benin and Nigeria maintain one of the closest and most structurally impactful bilateral relationships in West Africa.

Bound by an 809-kilometer shared border and a centuries-old history predating colonial borders, both countries share populations whose commercial, familial, and cultural exchanges have never ceased. Official diplomatic relations between the two nations, established on September 12, 1961, enshrine this long-standing brotherhood.
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On the economic front, Nigeria is Benin’s primary trading partner. The Autonomous Port of Cotonou serves as an essential gateway for Nigerian trade bound for landlocked countries in the sub-region. The Glo-Djigbé Industrial Zone (GDIZ), which created over 14,000 jobs in 2025, is attracting growing interest from Nigerian investors.

Benin’s formal exports to Nigeria increased by over 90 percent in 2024. The Sèmè-Kraké Joint Border Control Post, the West African Gas Pipeline, and the Benin-Nigeria Business Forum held in January 2026 all illustrate the depth of this bilateral integration.

​During talks with President Tinubu, Wadagni is expected to discuss economic and industrial cooperation, energy ties, maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea, and regional issues including unity within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).