President Bola Tinubu has mandated Vice President Kashim Shettima to lead Nigeria’s delegation to the 2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa.
The Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Communications, Stanley Nkwocha, revealed this in a statement on Sunday titled ‘VP Shettima To Represent President Tinubu At CHOGM 2024.’
“VP Shettima will join King Charles of England and other world leaders from 56 member countries at the first CHOGM to be held in the Pacific island of Apia, Samoa, from October 21 to 26,” the statement reads.
The leaders will deliberate on the theme, ‘One Resilient Common Future: Transforming our Common Wealth.’
The theme will focus attention on how member countries can harness their strengths through resilience, unlock potential, leverage the ‘Commonwealth Advantage’, and foster a connected, digital Commonwealth.
“At this meeting, Nigeria and other member countries will also elect and appoint the next Commonwealth Secretary-General.
“In line with the Agreed Memorandum on the Establishment and Functions of the Commonwealth Secretariat (revised 2022) and the principle of regional rotation, the next Commonwealth Secretary-General will come from the Africa Region.
“The candidates for the role are from Lesotho, Ghana, and The Gambia, while Nigeria will have a major role to play as the largest African member in this regard,” it added.
Consolidating the progress made at CHOGM 2022, VP Shettima and other world leaders will also deliberate on the global economy, as well as environmental and security challenges.
They will discuss how Commonwealth countries can work together to build resilience, boost trade, innovation, and growth, and empower the Commonwealth’s 1.5 billion young people for a more peaceful and sustainable future.
The Vice President is expected to use the platform provided by the Commonwealth Business Forum to further attract investors to Nigeria as global experts from businesses and the private sector convene to recommend and champion solutions to global challenges.
Shettima will also participate in the People’s Forum, the largest opportunity organised by the Commonwealth Foundation for people to engage with leaders on global development issues.
He will engage in bilateral meetings and other executive sessions.
Samoa becomes Shettima’s 11th foreign destination and 12th trip abroad.
The VP has spent 56 days abroad, visiting 10 countries on 12 unique and recurrent trips. He has also accumulated over 93 flight hours.
He has so far visited Rome, Italy; St. Petersburg, Russia; Johannesburg, South Africa; Havana, Cuba; Beijing, China; Iowa and New York in the United States of America; Davos, Switzerland; Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast (twice); Nairobi, Kenya; and Stockholm, Sweden.