The Vice President, Kashim Shettima, will represent President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the 15th BRICS Summit of Heads of State and Government in Johannesburg, South Africa.
VP Shettima’s spokesperson, Olusola Abiola, disclosed this on Monday in a statement in which he also said that his boss will depart Abuja today.
Abiola said that the Vice President 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, 2023.
According to Abiola, notable leaders expected to grace 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.
Shettima’s spokesperson added that 73 dignitaries, including the Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), the chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), and the President of the New Development Bank (NDB), have also been invited.
“The summit is expected to deliberate on issues on trade and investment facilitation, sustainable development, innovation, and global governance reform,” Abiola said.
“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.
The BRICS group accounts for more than 42% of the world’s population, 30% of the world’s territory, 23% of the global economy, and 18% of global trade.
One of its founding values is the shared commitment to restructure the global political, economic, and financial architecture to be fair, balanced, and representative, resting on the pillars of multilateralism and international law.
“The Vice President is accompanied on the trip by some senior government officials, and he is expected back in the country at the end of the week,” Abiola stated.
