Vice President Kashim Shettima has returned to Nigeria after leading the country’s delegation to the 18th BRICS Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi, India, where he pursued stronger trade, investment and diplomatic ties for the country.
Shettima represented President Bola Tinubu at the summit, using the high-level meeting to present Nigeria’s position on reforms to global governance and financial institutions and promote the country as a gateway to Africa’s growing market under the African Continental Free Trade Area.
The Vice President also held bilateral meetings aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s economic and diplomatic interests, according to a statement issued on Tuesday by Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Communications, Office of the Vice President.
One of the major engagements was a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, where discussions focused on renewed crude oil trade between Nigeria and India.
The two leaders also discussed opportunities for increased investment in pharmaceuticals, defence, digital technology, fintech, renewable energy and other strategic sectors.
Shettima also met with the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, during the summit.
The meeting, according to the statement, reaffirmed Nigeria’s support for multilateralism and efforts to build a more inclusive global economic order.
At the BRICS summit, Shettima conveyed Tinubu’s call for reforms to global institutions to make them more representative of present-day economic realities.
Nigeria also sought to position itself as a strategic entry point to Africa’s expanding consumer and investment market, particularly through the opportunities presented by the African Continental Free Trade Area.
The country further used its participation to strengthen cooperation with BRICS member and partner countries in key sectors, including agriculture, artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, manufacturing, healthcare, energy and human-capital development.
Shettima’s return marks the end of Nigeria’s participation in the summit, which provided an opportunity for the country to advance discussions on trade, investment, energy and broader international economic cooperation.
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