Today marks President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 16th international journey in 2025 as he leaves Abuja for Rome, the Italian capital.
According to a statement from Bayo Onanuga, the president’s special assistant on communication and strategy, the president will attend the Aqaba Process Heads of State and Government Level Meeting in Rome, which will center on the West African security problem.
In order to examine the changing security concerns in West Africa, presidents of state and government, top military and intelligence officials from African nations, and members of intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations will gather at the meeting, which is scheduled to start on October 14.
King Abdullah II of Jordan started a counterterrorism initiative in 2015 with the Aqaba Process meeting.
It is co-chaired by the Italian government and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
The proliferation of terrorist networks, the rising crime-terror nexus, and the growing convergence between maritime piracy in the Gulf of Guinea and land-based terrorism in the Sahel are just a few of the complex security issues that the summit acknowledges are facing West Africa.
As per the announcement, the meeting’s attendees will share their opinions on the present security situation in West Africa and encourage cooperation between regional and global partners to tackle cross-border security issues.
Additionally, participants will create plans to combat the threat of terrorism both on land and at sea.
Ideas for coordinating efforts to counteract online radicalization and disrupt digital networks that support terrorist recruiting and propaganda will be discussed during the meeting.
In addition to attending the plenary sessions of the Aqaba meeting, Tinubu will hold bilateral talks with other leaders to explore ways of addressing the rising security challenges across the subregion.
Tinubu will be accompanied by Bianca Ojukwu, minister of state for foreign affairs; Mohammed Badaru, minister of defence; Nuhu Ribadu, national security adviser (NSA); Mohammed Mohammed, director-general of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA); and other government officials.
With his latest trip, President Tinubu has now embarked on 16 international journeys across 12 countries in 2025 alone, and at least 44 foreign trips since taking office in 2023.
He recently returned from a 10-day annual vacation in Europe, during which he met with French President Emmanuel Macron.
Tinubu’s travels have spanned high-level summits, bilateral meetings, presidential inaugurations, and a few personal breaks.
Tinubu has traveled to attend presidential inaugurations, bilateral meetings, high-level conferences, and a few personal vacations.
On January 6, he traveled to Accra, Ghana, to attend President-elect John Mahama’s inauguration, marking the beginning of his 2025 international travels. He held side discussions with Gulf investors and government representatives on trade and energy cooperation during the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Summit in the United Arab Emirates, which took place from January 12 to 16.
Tinubu attended the Africa Heads of State Energy Summit in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, from January 27 to 28 of that same month. He attended the 37th African Union Summit in France and Ethiopia in February, where African leaders deliberated on trade integration under the AfCFTA, climate action, and regional security.
Tinubu traveled to France and the UK for a two-week working visit from April 2 to April 21. He attended Pope Leo XIV’s historic inauguration in Rome in mid-May while in Vatican City.
Prior to traveling to Brazil for the 17th BRICS Summit (July 4–7), the President made a historic state visit to Saint Lucia from June 28 to July 4, when he spoke to Caribbean leaders in Castries. After attending the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) in Japan, where he met with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to discuss digital infrastructure and marine security, he went to Brazil for a two-day official visit in August.
Tinubu traveled to France and the UK for a two-week working visit from April 2 to April 21. He attended Pope Leo XIV’s historic inauguration in Rome in mid-May while in Vatican City.
Prior to traveling to Brazil for the 17th BRICS Summit (July 4–7), the President made a historic state visit to Saint Lucia from June 28 to July 4, when he spoke to Caribbean leaders in Castries. After attending the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) in Japan, where he met with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to discuss digital infrastructure and marine security, he went to Brazil for a two-day official visit in August.
