Shettima Leaves for Italy, Russia to Attend UN Food Systems Summit, Russia-Africa Meeting

* Due back in Abuja weekend 

Deji Elumoye in Abuja 

Vice-President Kashim Shettima will depart Abuja on Sunday to represent President Bola Tinubu at two major international summits in Rome, Italy and St Petersburg, Russia.

At the Rome event, the vice-president, according to a release issued by the Director of Information in his office, Mr Olusola Abiola, will join other global leaders for the first Stocktaking Moment (STM) Summit themed ‘Transforming Food Systems for People, Planet and Prosperity,’ holding from Monday, 24th to Wednesday, 26th July, 2023.

During the Summit, Shettima will chair a high-level session themed ‘Innovative Financing for Food System Transformation: the Case of Nigeria’ and the side event on ‘Scaling up Multi Stakeholders Collaboration and Investment in the Implementation of Food Systems Transformation Pathways in Nigeria’.

The event is being organized in collaboration with the Rome-based UN Agencies, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and World Food Programme (WFP), as well as the UN Food Systems Coordination Hub and wider UN system.

The vice-president will thereafter proceed from Rome to St. Petersburg in Russia to represent President Tinubu at the Russia-Africa Summit scheduled from Wednesday, 26th to Saturday, 29th July, 2023.

While in Russia, Shettima will join other political and business leaders at the 2nd Russia–Africa Summit and Russia–Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum focused on strategizing to enhance relations between Russia and the African continent, among other benefits.

The vice-president will also participate in bilateral meetings with representatives of relevant Russian senior government officials and business leaders to discuss relations between Russia and Nigeria.

Shettima who is being accompanied by senior government officials from ministries, departments and agencies, is expected back in the country at the end of the week.