SHETTIMA ENGAGES ANTÓNIO GUTERRES IN ETHIOPIA AHEAD OF AU GATHERING

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By: Fasasi Hammad

Vice-President Kashim Shettima met with UN Secretary-General António Guterres in Ethiopia ahead of the 39th African Union (AU) Summit in Addis Ababa.

Stanley Nkwocha, senior special assistant to the vice-president on media and communications, said the meeting took place on Friday on the sidelines of the summit scheduled for February 14–15.

According to Nkwocha, the leaders discussed recent developments in Nigeria and the country’s contributions to strengthening multilateral cooperation. They also addressed regional security and governance challenges in West Africa and the Sahel, highlighting Nigeria’s ongoing role in promoting stability across the subregion.

“Both leaders pledged deeper partnerships, as the UN chief commended Nigeria’s economic reforms and its growing leadership role on the continent, particularly its efforts to promote peace and stability in the Sahel region,” Nkwocha wrote in a post on X.

Shettima, representing President Bola Tinubu at the AU summit and the 30th ordinary session of the Executive Council, was received at Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa by Ethiopia’s Minister of Innovation and Technology, Belete Mola, Ethiopian State Minister of Foreign Affairs Berhanu Tsegaye, Nigeria’s Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar, and other senior officials including Dunoma Ahmed, Nasiru Aminu, and ambassador-designate Geoffrey Chima.

Upon arrival, Tuggar briefed the vice-president on his summit itinerary.

This year’s AU summit, themed “Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063,” will focus on advancing continental commitments to sustainable water management, improved sanitation, and development objectives under the AU’s Agenda 2063 framework.

Key topics for deliberation will include peace and security, economic integration, and strategies for development financing across Africa.