By Abdulaziz Abdulaziz
Marketing is too important to be left to the marketing department. — David Packard
Juene Media Group-founded Africa CEOs Forum has sealed its place as the largest private sector gathering on the continent. It has become the rendezvous where investors engage leaders, tycoons meet mandarins, big ideas find platforms, and visions chance upon lifelines. The 2026 edition, co-hosted by the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC), is being held in Kigali, Rwanda, on May 14 and 15. Headlining the Forum this year are scores of juggernauts, among them six heads of government from around Africa.
As the biggest private sector assemble, the Forum is hosting over 2,800 business leaders, investors and policymakers from over 90 countries in Africa and around the world. Over 300 journalists, organisers say, are also billed to attend. There is no better place to pitch your ideas and vision!
The Africa CEOs Forum is a perfect place for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is always keen for opportunities to sell Nigeria to investors, local or international. As he concludes a similar investment-focused event in nearby Nairobi, President Tinubu arrived in Kigali on Wednesday to continue from where he had stopped in the Kenyan capital.
The words of David Packard, co-founder of tech giant Hewlett Packard, quoted as epigram to this piece, have found great accommodation in President Tinubu. Since he assumed office as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in May 2023, he has demonstrated that marketing Nigeria to the world and attracting Foreign Direct Investment are not duties to be left to bureaucrats or even exclusively in the hands of officials in charge. It is a duty for all, and most especially for him as the chief salesman of the country. The cornerstone of his administration is this sort of economic diplomacy that he takes as the sine qua non for achieving the $1 trillion economy target he had set for himself.
Indeed, in today’s interconnected world, economic diplomacy has become an important survival strategy, as salient as traditional diplomacy. Nations no longer compete only through natural resources or military strength; they compete through perception, visibility, trust, and strategic engagement. A country that does not actively tell its story risks being defined by prejudiced narratives, outdated assumptions or external constructs. This is why international engagements and strategic travels by national leaders matter.
For President Tinubu these trips are not empty junkets or ceremonial luxuries; they are opportunities to market a nation’s potential, attract investment, deepen trade partnerships, promote trust and build confidence in the economy. In a world where investors are worried about erratic leadership and political instability, investors are more likely to commit to countries whose leaders demonstrate vision, stability, accessibility, and ambition on the global stage.
No country rises globally while remaining invisible internationally. The world invests in countries it understands and trusts. Strategic communication, bilateral engagements, and economic outreach help translate national achievements into global opportunities.
Economic diplomacy is ultimately about opening doors for citizens; creating jobs, attracting capital, expanding markets for local businesses, and positioning the country as a competitive destination for innovation and enterprise. In a highly competitive global economy, visibility is not vanity; it is strategy. Nations that confidently promote themselves create stronger partnerships and accelerate national development.
This is where President Tinubu’s thoughtfulness pays up and this is why this trip to Kigali is vital for Nigeria.
The economic diplomacy prioritised by President Tinubu is about opening Nigeria to the world and opening opportunities to Nigerians. This marketing task is something he does so effortless and so passionately using sophisticated arts of marketing and advocacy. I have seen him speak to investors whether Siemens or ExxonMobil visiting him in Abuja or to a room full of Saudi investors in Riyadh. It is the same energy and candour. It is always a presentation from the heart that was as unpretentious as it was unscripted. He’d spurn out the facts and the figures, reeled out the justifications and tickle the boardroom chiefs where it matter without appearing weak or pitiable. It is a masterful combination of economic diplomacy and salesmanship at the highest level.
But it is not all talks. Even the best of marketers need good product to advertise. In this case, President Tinubu has executed much-praised reforms that have sharpened the Nigerian investment climate and make it palatable to investors.
Incentives provided to oil companies has suddenly drafted Nigeria back into choice destination for oil firms. Years of investment freeze in the sector have given ways for a boom. Last year Nigeria arractied 40% of fresh investment in deepwater and gas projects to Africa It is the same story in renewable energy and in mining, making the two areas darling of investors.
Exchange rates have been unified giving investors the assurance they need while making plans. The new tax regime has eased regulatory compliance and improved transparency in the system, making it easy to do business without fear of multiple taxation.
Nigeria today has a lot to show for these reforms. Companies that had closed shop or those who were considering exiting the uncertain climate are reconsidering their decisions. Only in January, oil giant, Shell announced a new $20 billion for the historic Bonga oil project. Mining that was commatose attracted $2.7 billion in one year alone, aside many lined-up commitments. In the same vein, sovereign fund managers and niche investors are trooping to pitch their tents in Nigeria in different sectors. This has helped in shoving up our external reserve and firming up the naira.
Like in similar outings before it, President Tinubu —who will be in a chat with with the publisher of Africa Report, Nicholas Norbrook, on the second day of the Forum in Kigali–will use the platform to reiterate his clarion call for investors to bet on the bolder, stable ans stronger Nigerian economy.•Abdulaziz is Senior Special Assistant t
