23rd July, 2023
By Salisu Sani-Idris
Vice President, Sen. Kashim Shettima, will on Sunday depart Abuja to represent President Bola Tinubu at two major international Summits in Rome, Italy and St Petersburg, Russia.
Mr Olusola Abiola, Director, Information, Office of the Vice President, made this known in a statement in Abuja on Sunday.
Abiola stated that at the Rome event, Shettima would join other global leaders for the first Stocktaking Moment (STM) Summit themed “Transforming Food Systems for People, Planet and Prosperity,” holding from Monday, July 24 to Wednesday, July 26.
According to him, during the summit, Shettima would chair a high-level session themed “Innovative Financing for Food System Transformation: the Case of Nigeria”.
He added that the side event titled “Scaling up Multi Stakeholders Collaboration and Investment in the Implementation of Food Systems Transformation Pathways in Nigeria.”
Abiola also said that the event is being organised in collaboration with the Rome-based UN Agencies, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Programme (WFP), as well as the UN Food Systems Coordination Hub and wider UN system.
“Shettima will then proceed from Rome to St. Petersburg in Russia to represent the President at the Russia-Africa Summit scheduled from Wednesday, July 26 to Saturday, July 29.
“While in Russia, the Vice President will join other political and business leaders at the 2nd Russia–Africa Summit and Russia–Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum focused on strategising to enhance relations between Russia and the African continent, among other benefits.
“Also, Vice President Shettima will participate in bilateral meetings with representatives of relevant Russian senior government officials and business leaders to discuss relations between Russia and Nigeria,” he said.
According to him, Shettima, who will be accompanied by senior government officials from Ministries, Departments and Agencies, is expected back in the country at the end of the week.