Shettima jets out to South Africa for BRICS summit

Vice President Kashim Shettima will today depart Abuja for Johannesburg, South Africa, to represent President Bola Tinubu at the 15th BRICS Summit of Heads of State and Government.

Shettima will be joining other business and political leaders across the world at the Summit scheduled for the Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg, from August 22 to 24.

This was disclosed in a statement by Mr Olusola Abiola, Director, Information, Office of the Vice President, on Monday.

Notable leaders expected to attend the event include South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, President Xi Jinping of China, Brazil’s President Luiz Lula da Silva, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Other dignitaries invited to the summit include the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the chairperson of the African Union Commission, and the President of the New Development Bank.

The summit is expected to deliberate on issues of trade and investment facilitation, sustainable development, innovation, and global governance reform.

It will also continue its outreach to leaders from Africa and the global South as it focuses on global geopolitics, trade, and infrastructure development.

BRICS, an acronym for Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, is a group of five major emerging and developing economies.

Meanwhile, Shettima is accompanied on the trip by some senior government officials.

He is expected back in the country at the end of the week.