In order to represent President Bola Tinubu at the third Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) Forum in Beijing, China, which was held from October 16 to 18, Vice President Kashim Shettima left Nigeria on Sunday.
This was revealed in a statement made on Sunday in Abuja by Mr. Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, Office of the Vice President.
Nkwocha stated that Shettima would participate in a discussion on the theme of “High-quality Belt and Road Cooperation: Together for Common Development and Prosperity” with world leaders from over 130 nations in Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America.
He claims that the vice president will make use of the forum’s platform to attract investors for additional development projects in Nigeria.
In accordance with the Tinubu administration’s vision for economic development, Nkwocha continued by saying that the Vice President would attend one-on-one meetings with other foreign leaders to boost trade and investment links with Nigeria.
The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), championed by Chinese President Xi Jinping as a strategy for the development of global infrastructure, will celebrate its tenth anniversary in 2023.
adopted and started by the People’s Republic of China’s government in 2013.
“The initiative seeks international action to enhance cooperation and promote infrastructure investment in nearly 70 countries across Asia, Africa, and Europe through land and maritime routes. “
He noted that previous President Muhammadu Buhari had represented Nigeria in signing the Belt and Road cooperation agreement with China in 2018.
The effort will be beneficial to Nigeria and other partner nations across the world when it comes to investments in infrastructure including ports, skyscrapers, trains, highways, bridges, airports, dams, and coal-fired power plants.
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According to Nkwocha, the Minister of Foreign Affairs is part of the vice president’s delegation to the forum.Others include the Director-General of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission, Michael Ohiani, the Director-General of the Nigeria Railway Corporation, Fidet Okhiria, the Minister of Works, David Umahi, the Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment, Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite, and the Managing Director of the Nigeria Railway Corporation.
In a similar development, Nkwocha stated that the vice president will leave China for the United States of America, USA, in accordance with the food security and diversification policies of the Tinubu administration.
Shettima will give a keynote speech at the Norman E. Borlaug International Dialogue, which will take place in the US while he is there as a special guest and is being organised by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the World Food Prize, on October 24th, 2023.
Additionally, he will join other African heads of state and government who have previously given opening remarks at the Borlaug Dialogue.
They consist of former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, World Food Prize winners John Kufuor of Ghana, Akinwunmi Adeshina of the African Development Bank, and Olusegun Obasanjo, among others.Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, Atiku Bagudu, Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, and Sa’idu Alkali, Minister of Transportation.
The media assistant added that Shettima was anticipated to emphasise the changes the Tinubu administration had made to the Nigerian agri-food sector.
The vice president will discuss investment potential in Nigeria with a number of stakeholders, partners, and investors.
The vice president has several meetings and engagements scheduled for when he returns to the nation following his obligations in the US.
(NAN)
