French President Emmanuel Macron has postponed his planned diplomatic visits to Nigeria and Senegal following widespread protests and violent unrest in France, delaying efforts to strengthen his country’s relations with West Africa.
The visit, initially scheduled for October 28 to 31, was expected to provide an opportunity to deepen diplomatic, economic and trade cooperation between France and the two West African nations.
Mediaplusng.com reports that a French presidential source confirmed the postponement on Friday, October 23, 2026, although no new dates have been announced.
The decision comes amid growing domestic tensions in France, where demonstrations over the cost of living and public services have been accompanied by riots, looting and clashes with security officials.
The French presidential source did not explicitly identify the unrest as the sole reason for postponing the trip, describing the planned African tour as part of a diplomatic and cooperation agenda.
The development comes at a time when France is seeking to strengthen its relationships across West Africa following deteriorating ties with several Sahel countries, including Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.
Nigeria and Senegal were considered important destinations for the diplomatic mission, which was expected to bring French business representatives into discussions with their West African counterparts.
For Nigeria, the planned visit was expected to build on ongoing engagement between Macron and President Bola Tinubu, particularly in trade, investment, energy, security and other areas of bilateral cooperation.
In September 2026, Tinubu met Macron for a private dinner at the Élysée Palace in Paris. Following the meeting, the Nigerian president expressed his commitment to strengthening cooperation and building a mutually beneficial partnership between the two countries.
The planned visit was also expected to advance discussions on the bilateral roadmap and identify new opportunities for economic development and job creation.
Macron’s engagement with Nigeria follows Tinubu’s three-day state visit to France in November 2024, during which both leaders discussed economic and political cooperation, energy transition, solid minerals, trade, investment and communications.
Meanwhile, France has continued diplomatic engagement with Benin under its newly elected president, Romuald Wadagni.
Wadagni visited Paris in October 2026, where he met Macron during engagements that included the Africa-France Impact Coalition dinner attended by business leaders.
Macron described the relationship between France and Benin as one built on friendship, trust and ambition, emphasising the importance of a partnership between equals.
These engagements reflect continuing efforts to maintain diplomatic and economic cooperation between France and West African countries, even as the region’s international partnerships evolve.
However, the postponement of the Nigerian and Senegalese visits leaves questions about when the proposed discussions will take place and how quickly both sides can advance their cooperation agenda.
For now, the focus remains on France’s domestic situation and the rescheduling of the diplomatic mission, with no confirmed new dates for Macron’s visits to Nigeria and Senegal.
