On June 1, 2026, Beninese President Romuald Wadagni made his first official foreign visit to Nigeria, just eight days after his inauguration. This highly symbolic trip confirms the new head of state’s priority to focus on relations with his Nigerian neighbor. The meeting with President Bola Tinubu comes in a context marked by major security, economic, and energy challenges in West Africa.
Benin’s President Romuald Wadagni made his first official foreign visit to Nigeria on June 1, 2026, just eight days after his inauguration on May 24. He was received in Lagos by Nigerian President Bola Tinubu at the Bourdillon residence. The visit comes in a context marked by the events of December 2025, when Nigeria deployed troops and fighter jets to support Benin’s institutions during an attempted coup. It highlights the strong ties between the two neighboring countries, which share a 773-kilometer border and significant trade flows estimated at between 3 and 6 billion dollars per year according to the World Bank and the African Development Bank.
“I think Abuja, despite everything, remains an interesting first destination for me. There is an axis to be built, even though with the AES countries, we must strike while the iron is hot. The sectoral ministers appointed in defense and security can already begin to openly re-establish contact with those countries, while waiting to find the right format for something bilateral, something tripartite between Niger, Benin, and Nigeria, or within the WAEMU, where everyone refers back to each other.”
Joël ATAYI GUEDEGBE, Governance Expert – Benin
At the heart of the discussions, several strategic issues stand out. First, cross-border security, as northern Benin faces threats linked to armed groups, while Nigeria is fighting Boko Haram and ISWAP in its northeastern region. Second, economic exchanges, particularly through the Port of Cotonou, which serves as a key transit hub to Nigeria, especially along the Cotonou–Kano corridor. Finally, energy cooperation through the West African Gas Pipeline, which is essential to Benin’s electricity supply. In 2025, Nigeria remained Benin’s leading trading partner in West Africa, confirming the economic interdependence between the two states.
“Abuja has already been normalized in that sense. So there is already an established situation there. It is practically a young man facing his father. So he can go and seek advice from the father. That is one option. Then the president will decide. It should still be within the sub-region. Personally, I would have preferred it to remain within the sub-region. Even if they go to Nigeria, they are not going to join the AES. If they go to Togo, they are not going to join the AES.”
Agapit Napoléon MAFORIKAN, Political Consultant – Benin
This first official visit by Romuald Wadagni to Nigeria confirms a clear diplomatic priority: strengthening the Abuja–Cotonou axis around security, trade, and energy. It marks the beginning of a proximity-based diplomacy between two countries whose economic and strategic interests are deeply interconnected in West Africa.
