Shettima To Lead Nigeria’s Delegation At 2024 Commonwealth Heads Of Government Summit In Samoa

Vice President Kashim Shettima will represent President Bola Tinubu and lead Nigeria's delegation to the 2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa, where leaders will discuss "One Resilient Common Future: Transforming our Common Wealth."

Shettima will join King Charles of England and other leaders from 56 member countries at the first CHOGM, which will take place on the Pacific Island of Apia, Samoa, from Oct. 21 to 26.

Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Communications Stanley Nkwocha made the announcement Sunday in an official statement shared on X.

"At this meeting, Nigeria and other member countries will also elect and appoint the next Commonwealth Secretary-General," the statement mentioned.

"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 play a massive role as the largest African member. Building on the progress made at CHOGM 2022, Shettima and other world leaders will discuss the global economy, as well as environmental and security challenges.

They will explore ways for Commonwealth countries to collaborate in building resilience, increasing trade, fostering innovation and growth and empowering the Commonwealth's 1.5 billion young people for a more peaceful and sustainable future.

The vice president is expected to use the Commonwealth Business Forum to attract investors to Nigeria, as global business experts gather to propose solutions to worldwide issues.

Shettima will also take part in the People's Forum, which is the largest event organized by the Commonwealth Foundation for people to engage with leaders on global development topics.

Samoa will be Shettima's 11th foreign destination and his 12th trip abroad. The vice president has spent a total of 56 days outside the country, visiting 10 countries on 12 different trips. He also accumulated more than 93 flight hours.

So far, he has traveled to Italy, Russia, South Africa, Cuba, China, the United States, Switzerland, Ivory Coast (twice), Kenya and Sweden.