Shettima Returns To Abuja, Says Nigeria Firmly Back On Global Economic Frontline

Deji Elumoye in Abuja

Vice-President Kashim Shettima on Saturday returned to the nation’s capital, Abuja after a week-long diplomatic and economic mission to Guinea-Conakry and Switzerland.

This is just as he said Nigeria has reclaimed a frontline seat in global and regional policy conversations.

Shettima arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport after representing President Bola Tinubu at the inauguration of Guinea’s President, Mamadi Doumbouya, and leading Nigeria’s delegation to the 56th World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos.

According to the vice-president, the trip is part of Nigeria’s renewed commitment to regional solidarity in West Africa and its determination to reposition the economy under President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda.

Shettima had departed Abuja for Conakry, where he attended President Doumbouya’s inauguration, reaffirming Nigeria’s leadership role within ECOWAS, while opening new pathways for bilateral cooperation in agriculture and manufacturing.

From Guinea-Conakry, the vice-president proceeded to Davos, Switzerland, where he led the Nigerian delegation at the WEF 2026.

Highpoints of his engagement in that country was the inauguration of Nigeria House Davos, the Nigeria’s first-ever sovereign pavilion on the Davos Promenade, designed as a permanent investment hub showcasing opportunities in solid minerals, agriculture and the digital economy.

At a high-level WEF session titled, ‘When Food Becomes Security,’ Shettima outlined Nigeria’s new national food security framework, describing agriculture as a strategic pillar of national security and macroeconomic stability.

He also joined former President Olusegun Obasanjo, former Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo and Minister of Finance, Mr. Wale Edun, to advance the Accra Reset Initiative, a forum advocating African industrialisation driven by domestic capital and value chains rather than foreign aid.

On the economic front, the vice-president told investors that Nigeria’s macroeconomic indicators were stabilising, citing a projected 4.4 per cent GDP growth in 2026 and a decline in inflation to 12.94 per cent. 

He also pointed to Nigeria’s imminent transition into a net exporter of refined petroleum products, anchored by the Dangote Refinery, and the growing export of digital talent.