Vice President Kashim Shettima has returned to Abuja after a week-long diplomatic and economic mission to Guinea-Conakry and Switzerland, declaring that Nigeria has reclaimed a frontline position in global and regional policy conversations.
The Vice President arrived at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport on Saturday after representing President Bola Tinubu at the inauguration of Guinea’s President, Mamadi Doumbouya, and leading Nigeria’s delegation to the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos.
Shettima said the engagements underscored Nigeria’s renewed commitment to regional solidarity in West Africa and its resolve to reposition the economy under President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
He explained that the visit to Guinea-Conakry reaffirmed Nigeria’s leadership role within ECOWAS, while opening new avenues for bilateral cooperation, particularly in agriculture and manufacturing.
From Conakry, the Vice President proceeded to Switzerland, where he led Nigeria’s participation at WEF 2026.
A major highlight of the engagements was the commissioning of Nigeria House Davos, Nigeria’s first-ever sovereign pavilion on the Davos Promenade, conceived as a permanent investment hub to showcase opportunities in solid minerals, agriculture, and the digital economy.
At a high-level WEF session titled “When Food Becomes Security,” Shettima outlined Nigeria’s new national food security framework, describing agriculture as a strategic pillar of national security and macroeconomic stability.
He also joined former President Olusegun Obasanjo, former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, and the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, to advance the Accra Reset Initiative, an advocacy platform promoting African industrialisation driven by domestic capital and regional value chains rather than foreign aid.
On the economic outlook, the Vice President told investors that Nigeria’s macroeconomic indicators were stabilising, citing a projected 4.4 per cent GDP growth in 2026 and a decline in inflation to 12.94 per cent.
He further noted Nigeria’s imminent transition into a net exporter of refined petroleum products, anchored by the Dangote Refinery, alongside the country’s expanding export of digital talent.
Vice President Shettima departed Abuja on Friday, January 16, for the engagements.