By Hajara Abdullahi
The Vice President of Nigeria, Senator Kashim Shettima, has departed Abuja for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to represent President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the 2026 African Union (AU) Summit.
This was disclosed in a statement on X (formerly Twitter) by the Senior Special Assistant on Media to the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha, on Thursday.
According to Nkwocha, the Vice President will join other African leaders at the 39th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of AU Heads of State and Government, as well as the 30th General Assembly, scheduled to hold on February 14 and 15, 2026, respectively.
“The Summit, themed ‘Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063,’ will focus on advancing continental commitments toward sustainable water management, improved sanitation systems, and the broader development aspirations encapsulated in the AU’s Agenda 2063 framework,” he said.
Nkwocha added that, on the margins of the Summit, Vice President Shettima will participate in high-level side events and hold bilateral engagements with political and business leaders aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s diplomatic, economic, and strategic partnerships across the continent.
“The Vice President is accompanied by cabinet ministers and other senior government officials,” he further stated.
He concluded that Vice President Shettima is expected to return to Nigeria at the end of his official engagements in Addis Ababa.