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Anthony Ufoh

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has denied the claims that Nigeria’s booth at the ongoing Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) in Japan has been neglected, but insisted that the it would commence activities on Thursday, 21 August, 2025.

The response by the MFA comes following a backlash by many Nigerians who visited the country’s booth only to find it empty, while other participating nations’ booths at the conference are already buzzing with activities.

This is the first time that Nigeria is participating in TICAD since its inception in 1993 and according to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu stated that as Africa’s fourth largest economy, it is more than a symbolic step.

Yusuf Tuggar, Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister, had also explained that the nation aims to leverage TICAD to strengthen economic ties with Japan, expand trade beyond the current $1 billion level, and draw lessons from Japan’s own growth story.

He said, “Nigeria is leveraging, first and foremost, on this ticket to strengthen its relationship with Japan and also with other African countries, so that it leads the way in providing that restructuring of the global financial architecture, so that the whole continent would benefit, so that Africa would benefit.”

However, many Nigerians at the venue of the conference expressed disappointment with the state of the nation’s empty booth.

The ministry’s response has cooled some of the backlash, but not all. While officials maintain the booth’s delayed start was part of the programme schedule, many Nigerians online argue the episode reflects poorly on the country’s image abroad, especially at a conference aimed at deepening trade and investment ties with Africa.