Vice President Kashim Shettima has departed Abuja to represent President Bola Tinubu at the International Development Association (IDA21) Heads of State Summit taking place on Monday in Nairobi, Kenya.
The high-level gathering to be hosted by Kenyan President, William Ruto, will see African leaders unite to call for an ambitious replenishment of the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA) concessional lending arm.
A statement by Stanley Nkwocha, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications Office of the Vice President says Shettima is expected to take a lead role in advocating for Nigeria’s vision of a transformative IDA-21 financing package to accelerate development across the continent over the 2024-2026 period.
He is also expected to speak on the strategic role of IDA in realizing Nigeria’s economic transformation agenda, with the country’s young population requiring substantial investments in sectors like job creation, energy access, and human capital development.
In the draft “Nairobi IDA Communique” that will be considered at the summit, African heads of state outline urgent priorities for IDA’s next three-year funding cycle, including building human capital, creating jobs, enhancing energy and digital access, building climate resilience, and promoting sustainable growth.