President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria welcomed Sierra Leone's President Julius Maada Bio to the State House on Friday evening for a closed-door bilateral meeting, amid ongoing regional efforts to strengthen West African unity and address shared challenges.
The high-level engagement, which lasted several hours, marks the first in-person discussion between the two leaders since Bio assumed the rotating chairmanship of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Authority of Heads of State and Government on July 6, 2025, during the bloc's 65th Ordinary Session in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau.
Sources within the presidency indicate that the agenda likely covered critical ECOWAS priorities under Bio's leadership, including political stability in member states, counter-terrorism cooperation, economic integration, and the region's response to recent withdrawals by Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso from the organization.
Nigeria, as ECOWAS's largest economy and a founding member, continues to play a pivotal role in mediating these tensions.
While no official communiqué was released immediately after the meeting, both leaders were described by aides as "optimistic" about deepening Nigeria-Sierra Leone ties and advancing the ECOWAS reform agenda.
President Tinubu, a former ECOWAS chairman himself (2018–2019), has consistently advocated for stronger institutional mechanisms to prevent democratic backsliding and enhance trade within the sub-region.
The visit portrays Abuja's active diplomatic outreach under Tinubu's administration, with Nigeria positioning itself as a stabilizing force in West Africa despite domestic economic pressures.
Bio's trip to Nigeria is part of a broader regional tour following his inauguration as ECOWAS chair.
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