Confederation of African Football (CAF) President Patrice Motsepe held a bilateral meeting on Tuesday with Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu on the sidelines of the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi.
The meeting brought together both leaders to explore ways of strengthening collaboration between governments, the football ecosystem, and the private sector to support development initiatives across Nigeria and the wider African continent.
CAF confirmed the engagement in a post shared on its official X handle, noting that discussions focused on cooperation between public institutions and football stakeholders in Africa.
“CAF President Dr. Patrice Motsepe and the Nigerian Head of State, His Excellency Bola Tinubu, met today on the sidelines of the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi,” the statement read.
“They discussed several topics, particularly cooperation between the government, football, and the private sector in Nigeria and in Africa.”
Motsepe is also expected to speak at the summit as preparations continue for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, which will be co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.
President Tinubu arrived in Nairobi on Monday for the summit as part of a broader three-nation diplomatic and investment tour.
According to the Nigerian Presidency, Tinubu’s visit to Kenya marks his second trip to the country since assuming office in July 2023.
His earlier stop was in France, where he engaged with global investors and reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to fiscal reforms and economic discipline.
The Africa Forward Summit, co-chaired by French President Emmanuel Macron and Kenyan President William Ruto, runs from May 11 to 12 under the theme “Africa Forward: Africa-France Partnerships for Innovation and Growth.”
Key focus areas include energy transition, digital transformation, green industrialisation, climate action, and reform of the global financial system.
Tinubu is also scheduled to hold additional bilateral meetings with global and African business leaders during the summit.
After the Nairobi engagements, he is expected to travel to Kigali, Rwanda, for the Africa CEO Forum scheduled for May 14 to 15 before returning to Nigeria ahead of the APC presidential primary slated for May 23.
