Shettima embarks on two-day visit to Sweden

Vice President Kashim Shettima departed Abuja on Wednesday for Sweden on a two-day visit to represent Nigeria in bilateral engagements with the Scandinavian nation.

This is in light of President Tinubu’s earlier departure from Abuja on October 2 for the United Kingdom to begin a two-week vacation, part of his yearly leave.

His Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, in a statement, explained that President Tinubu will use the two weeks as a working vacation and a retreat to reflect on his administration’s economic reforms.

The Presidency was not definite on his return trip, but the statement said the President is expected to return to the country after the expiration of the leave.

President Tinubu only recently returned to Abuja after a two-week official trip to China and a stopover in the United Kingdom (UK).

He had departed Abuja for Beijing, China, on 29 August. He returned on Sunday, September 15, before the UK trip.

At the instance of President Tinubu, Shettima will, during the working visit, engage in high-level bilateral talks with key government officials, including a meeting with Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and the Swedish Prime Minister.

Senator Shettima will use the visit to explore opportunities for strengthened collaboration between Nigeria and Sweden in areas such as ICT, innovation, education, digitalization, sustainable transport, mining, and agriculture.

He will also meet with key stakeholders in both the government and private sector.

The Vice President will also meet with Norrsken, a Stockholm-based venture capital impact investor, which recently launched Norrsken22, a $205 million tech investment fund for Africa.

Norrsken22 is a technology growth fund backed by over 30 prominent unicorn founders, partnering with exceptional entrepreneurs building Africa’s next tech giants.

The meeting with Norrsken will provide insights into how Nigerian entrepreneurs can benefit from this fund and further strengthen the technology ecosystem in Nigeria.

Notably, 40% of the investments from Norrsken22 are expected to be allocated to Nigerian technology entrepreneurs.

Twelve Nigerian private sector companies that are doing business with Sweden are going independently as a private sector bloc.

While in Sweden, VP Shettima is also expected to articulate Nigeria’s economic vision and the reforms being undertaken by the administration to create a business-friendly environment in Nigeria for investors. The myriad of opportunities that abound in Africa’s largest economy will also be showcased.

The Vice President is expected back in the country on Saturday.