President Paul Kagame and his Nigerian counterpart Bola Tinubu have held discussions on bilateral relations, intra-African trade and defence cooperation.

Tinubu, who arrived in Kigali on Wednesday, ahead of the Africa CEO Forum, was received by Kagame at Village Urugwiro.

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Their discussions focused on strengthening the fruitful partnership between Rwanda and Nigeria across key sectors including trade, energy and defense cooperation, the Office of the President said.

The Nigerian leader also commended the relations between the two countries, the "productive bilateral engagement" with President Kagame.

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"Nigeria and Rwanda understand what this moment requires. Africa must trade more with itself, move goods faster, connect its markets better, and give its entrepreneurs the continental scale they need to compete," Tinubu said in a post on X.

"We are also in the early stages of discussions with RwandAir on a practical flat rate arrangement that can help Nigerian businesses ship their goods more predictably across the continent."

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He added that as champions of the African Continnental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Nigeria and Rwanda will continue to work together to deepen digital trade, strengthen market access, and remove the barriers that limit African enterprise.

"Nigeria is proud to host the AfCFTA Council of Ministers and Digital Trade Forum in June," he said.

Tinubu arrived in Rwanda from Kenya, where he and Kagame joined other African and French leaders for Africa-Forward Summit.

He reiterated that the continent needs to fast-track its development.

"Africa’s future will not be built by speeches alone. It will be built by trade, investment, innovation, and the courage to trust one another’s markets," said Tinubu.