French Week 2025 Business Forum: Building Partnerships, Driving Growth

The French Week 2025 Business Forum brought together some of the most influential voices in Franco-Nigerian business, spanning energy, finance, agriculture, technology, and infrastructure. The forum, themed “Leveraging Partnerships for Growth,” underscored a clear message: the era of collaborative, measurable, and impactful France–Nigeria partnerships is well underway.

Lagos State set the tone with a remarkable announcement: a €260 billion EFT allocation.

“This is a landscape ready for partnership,”

Folashade Ambrose-Medebem

The allocation was recognized as a tangible signal of opportunity, showing how Nigerian sub-national governments are positioning themselves as magnets for investment.

Energy emerged as a major focus. TotalEnergies, represented by Matthieu Bouyer, announced its acquisition of PPL 2000 and PPL 2001 exploration licenses,  the first time in over a decade that an international oil company has been awarded Nigerian licenses through a bid round.

He highlighted three key reforms shaping investor confidence: improved security in the Niger Delta, rapid executive orders easing supply-chain bottlenecks, and a transparent 2024 bid round reopening upstream exploration. He also noted that six of TotalEnergies’top 20 suppliers in Nigeria are French companies, reinforcing the depth of Franco-Nigerian industrial collaboration. Plans are already underway to bring a drilling rig into Nigeria within the next year, demonstrating commitment and urgency.

Dr. Babs Omotowa, Non-Executive Director of NNPC, emphasized the strategic importance of expanding Nigeria’s gas sector.

 “We are targeting growth to 12 billion cubic feet per day, nearly double current output,”

Dr. Babs Omotowa, Non-Executive Director, NNPC

NLNG’s ongoing Train 7, now 80 percent complete, will increase capacity from 22 to 30 million tonnes per year, with plans for Trains 8 and 9 already under consideration. She highlighted the critical role of domestic gas in powering Nigeria’s 5,915 MW of current energy generation and boosting gas-to-industry growth through the AKK pipeline to Kaduna.

Akwa Ibom State provided a compelling case study in effective sub-national investment strategy. Dr. Gabriel Ukpeh, Chairman of FDI Advisors, outlined how the state attracted French partners by combining security, infrastructure, competitive natural resources, and streamlined business processes.

In agriculture, Kayode Adebiyi, MD of Fanmilk Nigeria (Danone), showcased how sustainable partnership can deliver impact.

“We currently work with 450 local dairy farmers across Oyo and Ogun States. Within 3–4 years, we aim to scale to 4,000–5,000 farmers,” he said.

Kayode Adebiyi, MD of Fanmilk Nigeria (Danone)

Danone’s model emphasizes capacity building in feed quality and livestock management, ensuring livelihoods alongside food security. The company is also supporting larger-scale farmers to complement smallholders and meet rising production demands for milk, yogurt, and ice cream.

Technology and finance were highlighted as critical enablers of growth. Dr. Adaora Umeoji, CEO of Zenith Bank, made a pointed observation

“Any company that does not understand AI, robotics, or machine learning is already behind.”

She shared insights from Zenith Bank’s Future Forward 5.0 Tech Fair and the Zecathon innovation program, which mentor and fund scalable Nigerian startups.

Other voices reinforced the momentum. Oliver Alawuba (UBA), Innocent Ike (Access Holdings), Abdul Samad Rabiu (BUA Group), Deacon Chris Iyovwaye (Wellmann Group), Denis Martin (CFAO Mobility), and Uhabia Ojike (Forvis Mazars) highlighted the critical roles of accessible finance, industrial development, project delivery, and regulatory clarity in sustaining partnerships.

The forum concluded with a resounding theme: French-Nigerian collaboration is no longer aspirational but operational. Energy, agriculture, technology, finance, and sub-national investment strategies are converging to build measurable outcomes.

“The next decade of Franco-Nigerian commercial relations will be defined by execution, scale, and sustainable growth,”

French Week 2025 demonstrated that with aligned vision, strong governance, and partnership across sectors, both nations are poised to co-create a future of shared prosperity.

Key Panelists

• Dr. Gabriel Ukpeh – Chairman, FDI Advisors Akwa Ibom State
• Folashade Ambrose-Medebem – Commissioner for Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade & Investment, Lagos State
• Dr. Babs Omotowa – Non-Executive Director, NNPC Limited
• Matthieu Bouyer – Managing Director, TotalEnergies
• Kayode Adebiyi – Managing Director, Fanmilk Nigeria (Danone)
• Dr. Adaora Umeoji – Group Managing Director and CEO, Zenith Bank Plc
• Ajibola Akindele – Country President, Schneider Electric Anglophone West Africa
• Oliver Alawuba – Group Managing Director, United Bank for Africa
• Abdul Samad Rabiu – Founder & Executive Chairman, BUA Group
• Deacon Chris Iyovwaye – Managing Director, Wellmann Group
• Innocent Ike – GMD/CEO, Access Holdings Plc
• Denis Martin – Managing Director, CFAO Mobility Nigeria
• Uhabia Ojike – Country Leader, Forvis Mazars in Nigeria
• Guillaume Niarfeix – President, Franco-Nigerian Chamber of Commerce (Panel Chair)