Vice President Kashim Shettima will lead Nigeria’s delegation to the 2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) on behalf of President Bola Tinubu.
Shettima will join King Charles III of England and other global leaders from 56 member nations at CHOGM, which will be held for the first time in the Pacific island nation of Apia, Samoa, from October 21 to 26.
This was revealed in a statement by Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications.
The leaders will discuss the theme, “One Resilient Common Future: Transforming our Common Wealth,” focusing on resilience, unlocking potential, leveraging the ‘Commonwealth Advantage,’ and building a connected, digital Commonwealth.
The statement also mentioned that Nigeria and other member states will participate in electing and appointing the next Commonwealth Secretary-General.
“In line with the Agreed Memorandum on the Establishment and Functions of the Commonwealth Secretariat (revised 2022) and the principle of regional rotation, the next Commonwealth Secretary-General will come from the Africa Region.
“The candidates for the role are from Lesotho, Ghana, and The Gambia, while Nigeria will have a major role to play as the largest African member in this regard.
“Consolidating the progress made at CHOGM 2022, VP Shettima and other world leaders will also deliberate on the global economy, environmental and security challenges, discussing how Commonwealth countries can work together to build resilience, boost trade, innovation, growth, and empower the Commonwealth’s 1.5 billion young people for a more peaceful and sustainable future.”
The Vice President is expected to leverage the Commonwealth Business Forum to attract more investors to Nigeria, as global business leaders and private sector experts gather to propose and champion solutions to worldwide challenges.
Additionally, Senator Shettima will take part in the People’s Forum, the largest event organized by the Commonwealth Foundation that enables individuals to engage directly with leaders on global development issues.