BRICS Summit: Shettima Meets WTO DG Okonjo-Iweala, To Pitch Nigeria’s Agric, Tech Investment Opportunities To World Leaders Sunday

Vice President Kashim Shettima has met with the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, WTO, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, on the sidelines of the ongoing BRICS Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi, India, and is set to pitch Nigeria’s agriculture and technology investment opportunities to world leaders on Sunday.

Shettima met with Okonjo-Iweala on Friday, where he reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to the WTO and the multilateral trading system, stressing that no country can prosper in isolation from the global community.

“I believe the world is greater than one nation. We will continue to support the WTO in championing the cause of multilateralism. We are essentially one human family and interconnected. You cannot divorce yourself from the global community,” Shettima said.

Nigeria is participating as a BRICS partner country at the summit themed “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability,” holding from September 12-13, 2026, with discussions focusing on peace, trade, energy and global cooperation.

The Vice President is expected to present Nigeria’s partnership and foreign investment opportunities to leaders of the BRICS alliance on Sunday, September 13, with focus on attracting investment into agriculture, technology and other non-oil sectors.

He is also expected to reiterate President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda objective of creating sustainable opportunities for Nigerians through reforms, infrastructure expansion and private-sector-led growth.

At his meeting with the WTO DG, Shettima also made a case for migration as an important driver of development, innovation and economic growth, noting that immigrants have historically contributed to the development of nations and cities.

“Nations are built by immigrants. Even cities are built by people who came from outside, not just by the locals. That goes to show that we have so much to gain from global migration,” he said.

Citing the Nigerian diaspora as an example, Shettima referenced a Pew Research Center analysis of 2024 US Census Bureau data, which showed that 67 per cent of Nigerian-born Black immigrants aged 25 and above in the US held at least a bachelor’s degree — the highest among major Black immigrant groups.

Shettima commended Okonjo-Iweala for her leadership at the WTO, saying, “You are doing a very wonderful job at the WTO, but you still have a lot to contribute to humanity.”