Fatimah Otunsanya
Vice President Kashim Shettima has returned to Abuja after representing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the 39th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of African Union (AU) Heads of State and Government and the 30th AU General Assembly held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
A statement on Sunday by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, Office of the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha, said Shettima participated in the summit between February 14 and 15, 2026.
The summit, with the theme, “Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063,” focused on advancing continental commitments toward sustainable water management, improved sanitation systems and the broader development aspirations of the AU’s Agenda 2063 framework.
Beyond the Heads of State meetings, the Vice President took part in high-level side events and held bilateral engagements with political and business leaders, aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s diplomatic, economic and strategic partnerships across the continent.
According to the statement, Shettima secured the goodwill of the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, who urged Nigeria to spearhead Africa’s quest for a restructured global order, describing the country as uniquely positioned to lead the continent toward superpower status.
The statement also said the Vice President, on behalf of President Tinubu and Nigeria, called for a continental shift towards health security sovereignty in Africa, stressing the need for the continent to move from reliance on foreign aids to self-sufficient, homegrown health systems.
At a high-level side event on “Building Africa’s Health Security Sovereignty,” Shettima argued that the shift had become necessary to ensure the health of Africans is not subjected to uncertainties of distant supply chains or the shifting priorities of global panic.