Shettima to Join World Leaders at G77 Summit

By Bliss Okperan

The Vice President, Mr Kashim Shettima, will join some world leaders at the Group of 77 (G77) Summit scheduled to take place from Friday, September 15 to Sunday, September 17, 2023 in Cuba.

The VP will be representing President Bola Tinubu at the programme themed Current Development Challenges: The Role of Science, Technology and Innovation.

The summit will be hosted by the Chairman of the group and President of Cuba, Mr Miguel Díaz-Canel. At the meeting, developmental disabilities will be discussed.

Mr Shettima is leaving the country today, Wednesday, September 13 to Havana, the Cuban capital. He would be accompanied to the event by the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Mr Abubakar Kyari; the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Mr Uche Nnaji; and the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr Adamu Lamuwa.

The G77 is the largest intergovernmental organisation of developing countries in the United Nations. It promotes the collective economic interests of members and enhance their joint negotiating capacity on all major international economic issues.

Speaking on the importance of the summit, the Director of Information in the Office of the Vice President, Mr Olusola Abiola, said in a statement that, “It (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.

“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.