Kashim Shettima Advocates for Africa at UN General Assembly

Vice President Kashim Shettima returned to Nigeria on September 28 after representing President Bola Tinubu at the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York. During the session, Shettima delivered a national statement demanding reforms to the UN Security Council to include permanent African representation, fairer global financing, and increased climate support.

While in New York, Shettima met with Rebeca Grynspan, the Costa Rican candidate for United Nations Secretary-General. He stated that Nigeria would support a candidate who believes in Africa's aspirations regarding multilateralism and securing positions in key decision-making bodies. Grynspan pledged to prioritize the Global South and promised to work toward actualizing Africa's ambition for permanent membership on the Security Council.

Shettima also collaborated with Queen Maxima of the Netherlands to improve financial inclusion in Nigeria. The Netherlands agreed to provide expertise in insurance, credit guarantees, and financial health to support Nigerian programs targeting women and vulnerable populations. During these talks, Shettima defended the economic reforms of the Tinubu administration as inevitable given the state of the economy in 2023.

Additional engagements included the Third High-Level Roundtable of the Africa Minerals Strategy Group, where Shettima urged African nations to prioritize local manufacturing over raw mineral exports, and an education financing event co-hosted with Italy to support the Global Partnership for Education.