Vice President Kashim Shettima has departed Abuja for Nairobi, Kenya, to represent President Bola Tinubu at the International Development Association (IDA21) Heads of State Summit.
The summit, hosted by Kenyan President William Ruto, aims to bring together African leaders to advocate for an ambitious replenishment of the World Bank’s IDA concessional lending arm.
Shettima is expected to play a lead role in advocating for Nigeria’s vision of a transformative IDA-21 financing package to accelerate development across the continent over the 2024-2026 period.
He will also speak on the strategic role of IDA in realizing Nigeria’s economic transformation agenda, particularly in areas such as job creation, energy access, and human capital development.
The summit will consider the draft “Nairobi IDA Communique,” which outlines urgent priorities for IDA’s next three-year funding cycle, including building human capital, creating jobs, enhancing energy and digital access, building climate resilience, and promoting sustainable growth.
The IDA summit provides a crucial platform for African leaders to unite and call for increased support for the continent’s development goals.