Vice President Kashim Shettima departed Nigeria on Wednesday to attend the G77, China Leaders’ Summit in Havana, Cuba, which will take place from September 15 to 17.
He will represent President Bola Tinubu.
In a statement, the Office of the Vice President Director of Information, Mr. Olusola Abiola, stated Shettima would attend the meeting among other world leaders, including UN Secretary-General Antonio Gutteres.
He stated that the summit would discuss development concerns that participants, primarily from the global south, were confronting.
“The summit will equally explore proactive ways of addressing challenges facing the development of the member-states leveraging science, technology and innovation to enhance socio-economic growth.
“Also, Shettima will, on the sidelines of the Summit, hold bilateral meetings with other world leaders to promote Nigeria’s trade and investment relations in line with the economic development diplomacy of the President Bola Tinubu administration,” he said.
Abiola said that the Havana Summit would be hosted by the President of the Republic of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, in his capacity as Chairman of the G77.
The theme of the summit is “Current Development Challenges: The Role of Science, Technology and Innovation.”
He recalled that Nigeria was a founding member of the G77 group established in 1964 by 77 developing countries.
“The group, a coalition of 134 developing countries with 80 per cent of world population, aims to promote its members’ collective economic interests and create an enhanced joint negotiating capacity in the United Nations,” he added.
He said Shettima would be accompanied by agriculture and rural development minister, Abubakar Kyari, his innovation, science and technology counterpart, Uche Nnaji, and the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr Adamu Lamuwa.(NAN)