VP Shettima Returns to Nigeria After BRICS Summit in India

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 participated in high-level sessions at the summit and held a series of bilateral engagements focused on advancing Nigeria’s economic and diplomatic interests.

One of the major engagements was his meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, where discussions centred on strengthening economic cooperation between Nigeria and India.

The talks covered renewed crude oil trade, investment, pharmaceuticals, defence, digital technology, fintech, renewable energy and other strategic sectors considered important to both countries.

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 on the need to reform global governance and international financial institutions to make them more responsive to the interests of developing countries.

He also positioned Nigeria as a strategic gateway to Africa’s growing consumer and investment market, particularly through opportunities created by the African Continental Free Trade Area.

Nigeria’s participation in the summit further provided an opportunity to deepen its engagement with BRICS member and partner countries across several areas of economic development.

These areas include agriculture, artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, manufacturing, healthcare, energy and human-capital development.

The Federal Government’s participation reflects its broader efforts to attract investment, expand international trade opportunities and strengthen strategic partnerships that can support Nigeria’s economic transformation.

The Vice President’s engagement with Indian officials also underscored the importance of Nigeria-India relations, particularly in areas such as energy, technology, healthcare, manufacturing and investment.

Shettima returned to Nigeria on Monday after completing the high-level diplomatic and economic engagements in New Delhi.

The Vice President represented President Tinubu at the summit as Nigeria continues to position itself for deeper engagement with emerging global economic powers and multilateral institutions.