Vice President Kashim Shettima left Nigeria on Wednesday to represent President Bola Tinubu at the G77+China Leaders’ Summit, which will take place in Havana, Cuba, from September 15 to 17.
Shettima will attend the Summit alongside other international leaders, including UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, according to a statement from the Office of the Vice President’s Director of Information, Mr. Olusola Abiola.
The summit, according to him, will discuss development which concerns that members, primarily from the global south faced.
“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.”
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 the 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.