Nigeria’s booth at the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) was unmanned for hours on the opening day of the summit, FIJ has gathered.
Other African countries had officials present at their stands engaging investors and sharing materials, but Nigeria’s section was left empty.
The observation was made and documented by Idris Ayodeji Bello, a Nigerian who attended the conference. Bello posted videos and photos of the empty stand on X.
Bello said he had to present himself as an “Honorary Consul” just to answer some questions from foreign visitors who stopped by. David Brown, another attendee, later posted that Japanese investors were interested in Nigeria but the country failed to show up.
The conference opened on Wednesday in Yokohama, Japan. It is known as a major platform where African countries attract Japanese investments and development partnerships.
On Tuesday, the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the presence of President Bola Tinubu at the event.
READ ALSO: REPORT: Despite Tinubu’s $30b Claim, Nigeria Hits Lowest FDI on Record in Q2
POOR TIMING FOR FDI EFFORTS
Nigeria’s absence at the booth comes at a time when African countries are competing for foreign direct investment. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) reported a rebound in FDI flows into Africa in 2024.
Consequently, investors have plenty of options to choose from. Nigeria’s failure to staff its booth may have resulted in missed leads and investment conversations.
FDI has been a major talking point for the Tinubu administration. But FDI in Nigeria has been highly volatile over the last three years and has shown no consistent growth trend.
There was an increase of $421.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2024, but by the second quarter of 2024, it had collapsed to just $29.83 million. In the first quarter of 2025, Nigeria only managed $126 million. FIJ earlier reported that just five states were responsible for most of the inflows, showing that the rest of the country is not even benefiting at all.
Regionally, Nigeria has not competed well with its economic peers. In 2024 for instance, Egypt recorded $46.1 billion in FDI. Kenya’s inflows, although smaller, have shown a steady upward trend since 2021. And South Africa’s FDI, even though it has been declining, remains higher than Nigeria’s.
DIPLOMATIC EFFORTS HAVE NOT BEEN THE BEST
In September 2023, President Bola Tinubu recalled 83 Nigerian diplomats from around the world. At press time, replacements have not been posted to many of those positions.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has attributed the delay in ambassadorial appointments to funding shortfalls. Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar said in May 2024 that appointing ambassadors without funding the missions would be ineffective.
The ministry’s spokesperson later clarified that foreign missions had not received any federal funding by the end of the third quarter of 2024.
Budget document reviewed by FIJ confirmed that no funds had been disbursed to Nigerian diplomatic missions in 2024. In a similar situation in 2020, the country went nine months without ambassadors after a recall of envoys under the Buhari administration.
UPDATES FROM JAPAN AND THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
In response to public criticism of the government’s handling of the booth, the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement claiming the stand had “not yet been opened” and would only be officially inaugurated on Thursday.
The ministry assured that the booth would then become “fully operational and serve the delegates of TICAD”.
Contrary to a tweet made by a participant at TICAD, the Nigerian Booth at #TICAD9 has not yet been opened. The booth will be officially inaugurated on Thursday, 21st August 2025, after which it will become fully operational and serve the delegates of TICAD.
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nigeria
(@NigeriaMFA) August 20, 2025
But this version clashes with what the Nigerians at the venue observed.
“Seems someone has seen all the tweets,” Bello later posted after an embassy staff suddenly appeared at about 6:32 pm. “They say I have koba people… Well it’s been a great time as a One-Day Consul-Designate. Now they are blaming me for posting. Make I Dey go home jeje.”
READ ALSO: No Funding, No Ambassadors for 14 Months Indicate Tinubu Cares Less About Foreign Missions
Event organisers had already provided a clear schedule indicating that booths were to remain open from Wednesday 20th August through Friday 22nd August, between 10 am and 7:30 pm (with closure on Friday at 2:00 pm). By that timetable, Nigeria’s stand was expected to be active from the very first day, like every other country’s.
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