Vice President Kashim Shettima has left Abuja to represent President Bola Tinubu at the International Development Association (IDA21) Heads of State Summit taking place on Monday in Nairobi, Kenya.
The significant level gathering to be facilitated by Kenyan President, William Ruto, will see African leaders converge for an ambitious replenishment of the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA) concessional lending arm.
An assertion by Stanley Nkwocha, the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the President on Media and Communications Office of the Vice President says Shettima is expected to take a pivotal role in advocating for Nigeria’s vision of an extraordinary IDA-21 funding package to speed up development across the continent over the 2024-2026 period.
He is additionally expected to speak on the essential role of IDA in understanding Nigeria’s economic transformation plan, with the nation’s young population requiring substantial investments in areas such as job creation, energy access, and human capital development.
In the draft “Nairobi IDA Communique” that will be considered at the summit, African heads of state outline critical needs for IDA’s next three-year funding cycle, including building human resources, creating jobs, improving energy and digital access, building climate flexibility, and advancing feasible development.
