The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced that Nigeria will officially inaugurate its booth at the ongoing 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) in Japan on Thursday, just a day before the three-day summit concludes.
The conference opened on Wednesday and is scheduled to end on Friday.
As the summit got underway, booths representing various countries welcomed investors and visitors.
However, Nigeria’s stand stood conspicuously empty on the opening day of the conference, leaving some delegates to take up the task of manning it.
The situation quickly drew criticism from Nigerians online, who lamented the country’s poor representation at such a high-profile gathering.
But the ministry of foreign affairs dismissed the concerns.
“Contrary to a tweet made by a participant at TICAD, the Nigerian Booth at #TICAD9 has not yet been opened,” the ministry said in a statement.
“The booth will be officially inaugurated on Thursday, 21st August 2025, after which it will become fully operational and serve the delegates of TICAD.”
Can Booths Be Inaugurated?
It is not an unusual practice to have some form of opening or unveiling ceremony around the booth, especially at trade shows and conferences.
This can include ribbon-cutting, speeches, demos, or special giveaways.
However, these activities are mostly informal and happen at the start of the conferences, as exhibitors ideally want to be present and active from the start to maximise visibility, networking, and influence.
