The President of Nigeria, His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu, arrives in Saint Lucia on Saturday, June 28 on an Official State Visit.

Prime Minister of Saint Lucia, Hon. Philip Pierre, said President Tinubu’s visit will allow the countries of the OECS to expand cooperation with countries in the southern hemisphere.

“The people of our region trace deep links to the African continent, particularly Nigeria. These longstanding connections compel us to continue nurturing and expanding our partnerships with Africa in ways that are meaningful, strategic and sustainable. We hope to collectively explore avenues of cooperation in such areas as economic development, education, infrastructure, and diplomatic exchange.”

His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu was inaugurated as President of Nigeria on May 29, 2023. By the 4th quarter of 2024, the World Bank noted a 4.6 percent growth in Nigeria’s economy, its fastest growth in about a decade.

For his part, Prime Minister Pierre has long advocated for unity and stronger collaboration between Africa and the Caribbean to tackle global challenges.

“Nigeria is a vast country full of resources and for many historical reasons it is important to maintain ties with Africa and to expand those ties; and this official state visit is the first step. You will recall in my manifesto, we said that we are looking toward the south to expand relations and we also said when we celebrated Emancipation that our history is important. Africa is part of our history, and we have to ensure the relations are strengthened, so I want to officially welcome the President of Nigeria.”

The Prime minister also alerted the public over predicted delays.

"Delays that will be caused due to security arrangements that are manadated because of the level of the visit," he said. "We are sorry for the inconvenience, but they are expected on the days that the President is out and about."

Over the past 24 years, Saint Lucia has established diplomatic relations with some eleven African countries, from Morocco in 1988, South Africa in 1996, Kenya in 2019, the Ivory Coast in 2022, Sierra Leone in 2023, and Eritrea in 2024.