Tinubu hosts Danish Queen, seeks collaboration on agriculture, education

By Kunle Sanni –

President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday welcomed Queen Mary Elizabeth of Denmark to the Presidential Villa in Abuja, seeking stronger ties between Nigeria and Denmark in livestock development, sustainable agriculture, and education.

The Danish monarch, visiting Nigeria for the first time as a Patron of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), was accompanied by Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, during official engagements at the State House.

President Tinubu emphasised the urgent need to harness Nigeria’s dairy and livestock sectors to boost food security, create employment, and promote rural development. He linked the effort to broader plans to manage Nigeria’s rapidly growing population.

“We can turn recurring clashes between farmers and herders into economic opportunity by creating structured education and empowerment for rural communities,” he said.

He praised Denmark’s investments in Nigeria’s agriculture and maritime sectors, especially the contributions of A.P. Moller–Maersk and Grundfos, and acknowledged Denmark’s humanitarian support to conflict-affected communities.

Queen Mary expressed sympathy for Nigeria’s humanitarian challenges and said her visit aims to strengthen cooperation in green investment, women’s entrepreneurship, trade, child health, and cultural exchange.

She also commended the First Lady’s Renewed Hope Initiative for supporting women and families, and announced plans to tour the Maersk terminal in Lagos during her visit.

Senator Oluremi Tinubu spoke on modernising traditional Islamic education and reducing the number of out-of-school children, welcoming Denmark’s support for school feeding programmes and broader educational reforms.