Vice President Kashim Shettima on Sunday departed Abuja for Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, where he will represent President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the inauguration of President Alassane Ouattara for a fourth term in office.

Shettima is expected to join other African and global leaders at the swearing-in ceremony scheduled for Monday, December 8, 2025, at the Presidential Palace in Abidjan.

Ouattara was re-elected on October 25, 2025, extending his leadership of the West African nation, which maintains warm diplomatic relations with Nigeria.

Both countries collaborate closely through ECOWAS and the African Union on security, trade, and regional development.

Their partnership is reinforced by a Bi-National Commission and multiple bilateral agreements spanning anti-trafficking, agriculture, and the digital economy.

Robust informal trade networks and a sizeable Nigerian diaspora community in Côte d’Ivoire further strengthen socioeconomic ties.

Accompanying the Vice President are the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Alieu Touray; Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Senator Abubakar Sani Bello; and Hon. Usman Zannah, who represents Kaga/Gubio/Magumeri Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives.

Shettima is expected to return to Abuja at the conclusion of the inauguration ceremony.