France Turns to Mike Adenuga Again for Landmark Cultural ‘Taj Mahal’ Project

Dr. Mike Ishola Adenuga Jnr. is one quintessential billionaire known to keep a private profile but support large scale business and philanthropy projects. A case study of a famously private man in a very public role, Adenuga has been using his fortune and influence to create platforms that empower minds and connect nations, an impact that goes well beyond business. Today, Lagos pulsates with one of Africa’s most sophisticated cultural landmarks, the Alliance Française de Lagos in the Ikoyi neighbourhood. The first phase of it was launched by the French President Emmanuel Macron on his visit to Lagos in July 2018 and the building fully opened in May 2019. The project, which was christened Mike Adenuga Centre, was executed and supervised quietly by Adenuga’s daughter, Bella Disu. The Centre is an architectural and diplomatic triumph, and a tribute to French culture. Indeed, French officials have hailed the Lagos centre as a model partnership with Nigeria’s private sector and it remains the most visible piece of cultural infrastructure France owns anywhere in Anglophone West Africa.

France and Adenuga have a long-standing relationship built on business, culture and diplomacy. The handshake between both can best be described as a covenant that was forged through decades of mutual trust. For decades France has seen the spark of Adenuga’s many grand pursuits in telecommunications, banking, aviation and energy. And the Globacom founder’s relationship appears to be based on personal affinity and reputational returns.

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In July 2018, French President Emmanuel Macron broke with protocol to confer Adenuga France’s highest award —Commander of the Legion of Honour— at a private ceremony in Lagos. He was the first Nigerian to achieve that grade of the French Legion of Honour. Adenuga is a true model for Africa through his contribution to French-Nigerian relations, his love of French culture and the advancement of humanity, Macron said. This is why the West European country is once again looking up to Adenuga for her next cultural ‘Taj Mahal’ in Abuja.

France has returned to Adenuga to finance and build a new Institut Français in Nigeria’s federal capital, using the same template that delivered the flagship centre in Lagos. This comes ahead of an anticipated official visit by Macron to West Africa in late October to early November 2026, where he is expected to lay the foundation stone for the Abuja new project.