Vice President Kashim Shettima will represent President Bola Tinubu at the 18th BRICS Leaders’ Summit scheduled to hold in New Delhi, India, from September 12 to 13, the Federal Government has said.
The summit, which will take place at Bharat Mandapam, is expected to bring together leaders of BRICS member and partner countries for discussions on global economic growth, multilateral cooperation and shared development priorities.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, Stanley Nkwocha, disclosed this in a statement issued on Friday in Abuja.
According to Nkwocha, Nigeria’s participation will provide an opportunity for the country to deepen economic and diplomatic ties with major emerging economies while expanding cooperation across the Global South.
He said Shettima would participate in plenary and high-level sessions alongside other leaders and senior representatives, with discussions expected to cover areas including trade, investment, energy, agriculture, solid minerals, technology and innovation.
Beyond the summit’s formal sessions, the Vice President is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with leaders and senior officials from participating countries.
Nkwocha said the engagements would focus on identifying opportunities to strengthen economic partnerships with Nigeria and attract investments that could support the country’s development priorities.
“Nigeria, a BRICS partner country since January 2025, is opening another channel for the country to deepen South-South cooperation and engage some of the world’s largest emerging economies on trade, investment, development finance and reform of global governance institutions,” he said.
He added that Nigeria’s involvement in BRICS was in line with Tinubu’s efforts to broaden the country’s international economic relationships, attract foreign investment and create wider markets for Nigerian products.
The presidential aide identified agriculture, energy, minerals and other non-oil sectors as areas where Nigeria was seeking to expand international market access and investment opportunities.
Nigeria became a BRICS partner country in January 2025, providing the country with an additional avenue to engage with emerging economies and participate in discussions around the future of global economic governance.
Nkwocha said Shettima would return to Nigeria shortly after concluding his engagements at the summit.
Ezeana Emmanuel
