VP Shettima holds meeting with Antonio Guterres ahead of AU Summit

Vice-President Kashim Shettima has held a meeting with the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, ahead of the 39th African Union summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The meeting took place on Friday on the sidelines of the 39th summit of the African Union, which is scheduled to hold from February 14 to 15 in Addis Ababa.

According to Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications in the Office of the Vice-President, the two leaders used the opportunity to discuss recent developments in Nigeria.

Nkwocha said the talks also focused on Nigeria’s role in strengthening multilateral cooperation and deepening partnerships within the international community.

He said they also deliberated on regional security and governance challenges in West Africa and the Sahel, noting Nigeria’s continued engagement 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 said in an X post.

Earlier, Shettima arrived in Addis Ababa to represent President Bola Tinubu at the AU summit and the 30th ordinary session of the executive council.

He was received at the Bole International Airport by Belete Mola, Ethiopia’s minister of innovation and technology, alongside Berhanu Tsegaye, Ethiopian state minister of foreign affairs; Yusuf Tuggar, Nigeria’s minister of foreign affairs; Dunoma Ahmed, permanent secretary in the ministry of foreign affairs; Nasiru Aminu, chargé d’affaires at the Nigerian embassy in Ethiopia; and Geoffrey Chima, ambassador-designate, among other officials.

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

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 toward sustainable water management, improved sanitation systems, and broader development goals under the AU’s Agenda 2063 framework.

The summit is expected to deliberate on key continental priorities, including peace and security, economic integration, and development financing.

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