President Bola Tinubu has formally extended an invitation to Guinea’s leader, Mamadi Doumbouya, to undertake a state visit to Nigeria. The invitation followed a bilateral discussion between the two leaders on the sidelines of the Africa CEO Forum in Kigali on Thursday.
During the meeting, President Tinubu and Doumbouya explored ways to strengthen bilateral relations, with a particular focus on collaboration in Guinea’s mineral and metals sector, which is rich in resources.
Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Sunday Dare, disclosed details of the meeting while briefing journalists after the President’s engagements at the forum.
According to Dare, the Guinean leader welcomed the invitation positively, adding that arrangements for the anticipated visit to Abuja were expected to be concluded in the near future.
“The President had a fruitful meeting, and you know Guinea is in debt to our president; he got some very good advice.
“Very soon, on the invitation of President Tinubu, he is likely to visit Nigeria,” Dare said.
Doumbouya, who won Guinea’s recent presidential election with 86.2 per cent of the vote, is navigating his country’s transition to civilian democratic rule.
Guinea is scheduled to hold parliamentary elections within the next two weeks.
Dare said the meeting opened strategic possibilities for Nigeria-Guinea economic cooperation, with Guinea’s considerable natural resource wealth in metals, minerals and associated infrastructure opportunities presenting an area of mutual interest.
He said, “Guinea has a lot of potential, metals, minerals, and so on.
“The opening for partnership between Nigeria and Guinea has been opened.
“The possibilities are great, and I’m sure we will see that develop in the days and years ahead,” he said.
Guinea is among Africa’s most mineral-rich countries, holding the world’s largest reserves of bauxite, the principal ore used in aluminium production, as well as significant deposits of iron ore, gold and diamonds.
