The President of France Emmanuel Macron visited Nigeria last week, on July 3. Find out why he paid a visit to the country and which activities he enjoyed right now!
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1. Why was he there?
Ever since Emmanuel Macron was elected to the highest office in France, he made no secret out of his desire to build stronger ties to African countries. That is why he was especially excited to visit Nigeria for the first time as the President.
However, it wasn’t the first visit Emmanuel Macron paid to Nigeria. In fact, in 2002 the future French President spent six months working as an intern for the French embassy in the country, which is why his first official presidential visit is even more significant for Macron.
2. What did he do?
Emmanuel Macron arrived to Nigeria earlier last week and spent a total of two days in the country. The first part of his visit was purely official: he met with President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja and discussed a variety of important points, including launching an France-Nigeria investment club, strengthening of business ties between Nigeria and France, and immigration.
Then began the informal part of Macron’s visit. The President of France confessed to being fascinated by Nigerian culture and having a special place for it in his heart ever since he spent a long time working there.
Emmanuel Macron said that if Africa and Nigeria succeed, it’s going to be a win-win situation for everyone involved. He also urged young people not to do anything drastic to end up as migrants, since the migrant crisis is one of the most discussed topics today in the world.
3. Emmanuel Macron at New Afrika Shrine
Perhaps, the most widely discussed part of the President’s visit to Nigeria is him attending New Afrika Shrine, the famous Lagos nightclub founded by the iconic musician Fela Kuti. While some were surprised by Macron’s choice of the venue, it turned out that during his stint at the French embassy, the future President of France paid a visit to the club and had some precious memories of his time there.
New Afrika Shrine has never been visited by any President, which is why Macron’s visit to the club is so noteworthy. The club is a notorious hot spot, but this fact didn’t scare the President away. Instead, he not only enjoyed the performances, but also joined the musicians onstage to experience what he calls “African energy”.
The visit of Emmanuel Macron to Nigeria was brief but eventful. It was largely about the various policies and international business, but what’s even more important that Macron spent a lot of time communicating with Nigerian people and culture. Here’s hoping he’ll be back soon enough!
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