Vice President Kashim Shettima has returned to Nigeria after representing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the 18th BRICS Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi, India.
Shettima’s return was announced in a statement issued on Tuesday, September 15, by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communications, Stanley Nkwocha.
According to the statement, the Vice President used his participation in the summit to advance Nigeria’s economic and diplomatic interests through high-level engagements with world leaders and key international institutions.
During the visit, Shettima held talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with discussions focusing on strengthening bilateral cooperation between Nigeria and India in areas including crude oil trade, investment, pharmaceuticals, defence, digital technology, fintech and renewable energy.
The Vice President also met with the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, where he reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to multilateralism and the pursuit of a more inclusive global economic order.
At the BRICS summit, Shettima delivered President Tinubu’s message calling for reforms to global governance structures and international financial institutions to make them more representative and responsive to the needs of developing economies.
He also presented Nigeria as a strategic gateway to Africa’s expanding market, particularly through opportunities created by the African Continental Free Trade Area, AfCFTA.
Nigeria further used the summit to strengthen engagements with BRICS member and partner countries in strategic sectors, including agriculture, artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, manufacturing, healthcare, energy and human capital development.
The engagements formed part of the Federal Government’s broader efforts to attract investment, deepen international partnerships and position Nigeria as a major player in the global economy.
Shettima’s participation also provided an opportunity for Nigeria to strengthen its diplomatic and economic ties with emerging global powers while promoting areas of mutual interest and cooperation.
The Vice President has now returned to Nigeria following the conclusion of the summit and his high-level engagements in India.
