Vice President Kashim Shettima has departed Abuja for Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, where he will represent President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the inauguration of President Alassane Ouattara as he begins his fourth term in office.
The inauguration is scheduled to take place on Monday, 8 December 2025, at the Presidential Palace in Abidjan, and is expected to draw leaders and dignitaries from across Africa and beyond. Ouattara secured re-election on 25 October 2025, extending his leadership of the West African nation.
Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire maintain close diplomatic relations, reinforced by cooperation within ECOWAS and the African Union. Both countries work together on regional security, trade, and development initiatives, supported by a bi-national commission and multiple bilateral agreements covering areas such as anti-human trafficking, agriculture, digital economy, and cross-border collaboration. Significant informal trade ties and a sizable Nigerian community in Côte d’Ivoire have further strengthened these relations.
Vice President Shettima is travelling with a delegation that includes ECOWAS Commission President Omar Aliyu Touray; Senator Abubakar Sani Bello, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs; and Hon Usman Zannah, who represents Kaga/Gubio/Magumeri Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives.
