…to attend heads of state meeting, side events, bilateral talks in Addis Ababa
…Nigeria already reaping gains, clinches African monetary institutions’ hosting rights — Tuggar
Vice President Kashim Shettima has arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to represent President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the 39th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of African Union (AU) Heads of State and Government and the 30th General Assembly scheduled for February 14 and 15, 2026.
According to a statement issued by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, Office of the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha, Shettima landed at the Bole International Airport, where he was received by Ethiopia’s Minister of Innovation and Technology, Dr. Belete Mola, and the State Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Berhanu Tsegaye.
Also on the ground to welcome the Vice President were Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar; Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Ambassador Dunoma Ahmed; Chargé d’Affaires at the Nigerian Embassy in Ethiopia, Ambassador Nasiru Aminu; Head of Consular and Ambassador-Designate, Ambassador Geoffrey Chima, as well as other government officials.
On arrival, Tuggar debriefed the Vice President on his itinerary for 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 strengthening continental commitments to sustainable water management, improved sanitation systems, and the broader development goals captured in the AU’s Agenda 2063 framework.
Beyond the heads of state meetings, Shettima is expected to participate in high-level side events and hold bilateral engagements with political and business leaders aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s diplomatic, economic, and strategic partnerships across Africa.
Speaking with journalists after the debriefing, Tuggar said the launch of the Regional Partnership for Democracy (RPD) is a strategic move designed to consolidate and strengthen democratic culture on the continent.
The minister also said Nigeria was already reaping benefits from its participation in the AU process, citing the confirmation of the country as host of the African Monetary Institute and the African Central Bank, as well as Nigeria’s nomination to the board of the bank.
