Tracing President Macron's Tour Of Nigeria

In July 2018, France’s President Emmanuel Macron set out on a monumental two-day state visit to Nigeria visiting venues across Abuja and Lagos. Here’s everything you need to know.

Background

President Emmanuel Macron made his first presidential visit to Nigeria after concluding attendance at the 31st African Union Summit in Nouakchott, Mauritania, which took place from from June 25 to July 2, 2018. His visit was reported by the Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs to help improve ties and trade relations between the two nations, as well as across English-speaking Africa. However, his visit wasn’t only policy driven, as he also travelled to Lagos, the country’s arts and cultural hub to attend several events and talks about culture.

President Emmanuel Macron is no newbie to Nigeria though. He first visited Nigeria at 23 years old when he worked as an intern at the French Embassy in 2002. Macron revealed in a tweet that he held fond memories from his six-month internship of visiting the New Afrika Shrine, one of Lagos’s most important cultural nightlife venues.

Presidential Villa

Also commonly known as Aso Rock, the Presidential Villa is situated in Abuja, the capital city of Nigeria. On July 3, 2018, President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Nigeria on the French Presidential Jet A330 and landed at the Presidential wing of Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport at about 3.10pm. He was received at the airport by the Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama, before before leaving for the Presidential Villa.

Macron’s closed-door meeting with the Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari was to have discussions on investment, security, trade and cultural ties.

Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF)

The Tony Elumelu Foundation is a non-profit organisation founded in 2010 by entrepreneur and philanthropist Tony Elumelu. With its base in Lagos, the foundation runs programmes that empower and champion entrepreneurs to contribute meaningfully to Africa’s economic and social development.

During Macron’s visit to Lagos, he gave an interactive talk at the foundation hosted by Tony Elumelu. The talk was attended by 2000 TEF alumni entrepreneurs and was a chance for the attending entrepreneurs to engage Macron on his experiences, especially being one of the youngest heads of state in recent times. By the end of the event, Macron had announced a signed development, finance and entrepreneurship agreement with TEF worth €1 billion, aimed at building on the achievements that TEF has established already in Africa.

Meetings for culture and experience

1. New Afrika Shrine

Music Venue

During President Macron’s visit, he stopped over in Lagos to visit the New Afrika Shrine, an iconic nightclub founded by the legendary afrobeat king Fela Anikulapo Kuti, which is now run by his children Femi, Seun and Yeni Anikulapo-Kuti. The shrine is known for its high life beats, scantily clad female dancers gyrating to the sound of the music, alcohol and general hedonistic behaviour.The event at the New Afrika Shrine included several cultural showcases such as a performance by Femi Kuti, a small stage play by Nollywood actors and a live drawing where 11 year-old artist Kareem Waris Olamilekan drew a portrait of Macron in two hours, much to the president’s delight. By the end of the night, President Macron had announced the launch of the Season of African Cultural Season, scheduled to hold in France in 2020. He stated that it will be a series of events about African culture for African artists, by African artists, and with African leaders and business communities in France.

Alliance Française

During Macron’s visit in Lagos, he inaugurated the new Alliance Française in Ikoyi, Lagos, a non-profit cultural centre that has been approved by the Alliance Française of Paris to train and educate Nigerians in French language and culture. The new headquarters constitutes a world class art gallery, a French restaurant with daily fresh bakery, a state-of-the-art cinema, artists’ studios, an outdoor amphitheatre, a library and e-library, nine fully equipped French language classrooms, translation and interpretation service, Campus France branch, offices and much more.

The inauguration was also attended by Denys Gauer the French Ambassador to Nigeria, top government officials, members of the diplomatic community, captains of industry and cultural ambassadors, among others.

During the ceremony, President Macron also bestowed Mike Adenuga the business mogul who financed the new Alliance Française, with the French National Honor of Commander of French Legion for his “remarkable contribution to the development of the French-Nigerian relations, his appreciation of the French culture and also for the advancement and betterment of humanity.”

Lycée Français Louis Pasteur

The Lycée Français Louis Pasteur is an international primary and secondary French school in Victoria Island, Lagos. This French high school was one of the stops on president Macron’s itinerary during his visit in Nigeria. He met with the school’s staff, as well as took selfies with the students and even joined a basketball training with the young players from the school and former pro basketball players from NBA Africa.

He is quoted as saying “Investing in sports, especially in Africa, is the best way to a better life for young people.”

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.