Vice President Kashim Shettima has arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to represent President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the 39th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union (AU) Heads of State and Government and the 30th Ordinary Session of the AU General Assembly, scheduled to hold on February 14 and 15, 2026, respectively.
This was disclosed in a statement issued on Thursday by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications (Office of the Vice President), Stanley Nkwocha.
According to the statement, the Vice President was received at Bole International Airport by Ethiopia’s Minister of Innovation and Technology, Dr. Belete Mola, alongside the Ethiopian State Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Berhanu Tsegaye; Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar; Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Dunoma Ahmed; Chargé d’Affaires at the Embassy of Nigeria in Ethiopia, Ambassador Nasiru Aminu; Head of Consular and Ambassador-Designate, Ambassador Geoffrey Chima; and other government officials.
On arrival, Ambassador Tuggar briefed the Vice President on his itinerary for the summit.
This year’s AU Summit, themed “Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063,” will focus on advancing continental commitments to sustainable water management, improved sanitation systems, and the broader development aspirations outlined in the AU’s Agenda 2063 framework.
In addition to the Heads of State meetings, Senator Shettima is expected to participate in high-level side events and bilateral engagements with political and business leaders aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s diplomatic, economic, and strategic partnerships across the continent.
Speaking with journalists after briefing the Vice President, Ambassador Tuggar described the launch of the Regional Partnership for Democracy (RPD) as a strategic initiative to consolidate and strengthen democratic culture in Africa.
Highlighting the gains of the summit, the minister noted that Nigeria is already reaping benefits from its participation, citing the confirmation of the country as host of the African Monetary Institute and the African Central Bank, as well as its nomination to the board of the bank.
