The Presidency has clarified that the schedule of Nigerian delegation at the ongoing 9th Tokyo International Conference for African Development (TICAD9) in Yokohama, Japan saying it does not include participation in trade exhibition.
Reacting to media reports that Nigeria’s booth at the opening forum trade exhibition for participating nations was empty, Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga in a statement said the Nigeria delegates are at the conference to focus on the core objectives of achieving tangible outcomes from the scheduled lineup of bilateral and multilateral engagements targeted at driving optimum performance in key sectors of the economy, especially in power, industry and agriculture and not to participate in trade exhibition.
Onanuga who noted that the reports might had been made out patrotic concerns, however, insisted that they were made out of ignorance and misrepresentation of the country’s mission and activities at the conference.
“The trending social media narrative about an empty booth labelled ‘NIGERIA’ at the ongoing 9th Tokyo International Conference for African Development (TICAD9) in Yokohama, Japan, totally misrepresented our country’s mission and activities at the conference.
“While we understand the urge by many social media users to seek clicks with many incorrect posts, we also recognise that the author may have acted out of patriotic concern. But it is a concern inspired by ignorance about Nigeria’s mission at the triennial conference,” Onanuga said.
Explaining further the Nigeria’s mission at the triennial conference, the President’s spokesman said: “The Nigerian delegation to the summit, led by President Bola Tinubu, is laser-focused on its core objectives of achieving tangible outcomes from the scheduled lineup of bilateral and multilateral engagements targeted at driving optimum performance in key sectors of the economy, especially in power, industry and agriculture.”
He affirmed that the schedule of Nigerian delegation working with corporate Nigeria at TICAD9 was not to attend trade exhibition but to discuss, negotiate and secure foreign investments into the country.
“The Nigerian official delegation working with Corporate Nigeria, represented by some of our leading business leaders, didn’t come to Yokohama and Tokyo to attend any Trade Expo, designed as an open forum for participating nations.
“The Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Agriculture (NACCIMA) is scheduled to host an investment forum on Thursday, August 21, 2025
“The Nigerian ministers are busy with bilateral sideline discussions. At the same time, President Tinubu will lead meetings with the executives of Toyota Corporation, CFAO, UN-Habitat, UNDP, and the International Finance Corporation. The delegation’s schedule does not include participation in an open forum trade exhibition,” he clarified.
“Specifically,” he said, “the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, is leading the pre-activation meeting to execute several power projects in Nigeria that are being funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). One of the projects is the Lagos-Ogun Power Transmission System Improvement, which is designed to improve the wheeling capacity and grid stability and enable the connection of industrial customers on the corridor. There is also the partnership between the National Power Training Institute (NAPTIN) and JICA to enhance Vocational Training Delivery for the power sector. The third power project is the Distributed Access Through Renewable Energy Scale-up, for which $190 million has been provided.”
Minister of Power, according to Onanuga, “is scheduled to negotiate with notable Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) such as TOSHIBA and HITACHI.”
The President spokesman added that the Bank of Industry, led by its Managing Director/Chief Executive, Dr. Supo Olusi, is also in high-level discussions with the Japan International Cooperation Agency and other participating multilateral institutions for its annual global fund syndication.
Onanuga affirmed that Nigeria is fully and well represented and part of the essential conversations and negotiations that are going on at TICAD9.
