Nigerians await arrival of President Tinubu as VP Shettima departs for Sweden
Kashim Shettima, the vice-president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, will on Wednesday depart Abuja for a 2-day visit to Sweden.
The development comes as the two-week trip of President Tinubu expires today, having departed for the UK on October 2, 2024.
According to a statement by Stanley Nkwocha, the spokesman to the vice president, the visit, which is at the instance of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is on bilateral engagements between both countries, adding that the vice president will also use the visit to explore opportunities for strengthened collaboration between Nigeria and Sweden in areas such as ICT, innovation, education, digitalisation, sustainable transport, mining, and agriculture by engaging stakeholders in both the government and the private sector.
The statement reads in part, “The Vice President is expected back in the country on Saturday. While in Sweden, the Vice President will engage in high-level bilateral talks with key government officials, including a meeting with Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and the Swedish Prime Minister,” he said.
“The Vice President will also meet with Norrsken, a Stockholm-based venture capital impact investor, which recently launched Norrsken22, a USD 205 million tech investment fund for Africa.
“Norrsken22 is a technology growth fund backed by over 30 prominent unicorn founders, partnering with exceptional entrepreneurs building Africa’s next tech giants.
“The meeting with Norrsken will provide insights into how Nigerian entrepreneurs can benefit from this fund and further strengthen the technology ecosystem in Nigeria.
”Notably, 40% of the investments from Norrsken22 are expected to be allocated to Nigerian technology entrepreneurs.”
“Twelve (12) Nigerian private sector companies that are doing business with Sweden are going independently as a private sector bloc.
“While in Sweden, VP Shettima is also expected to articulate Nigeria’s economic vision and the reforms being undertaken by the administration to create a business-friendly environment in Nigeria for investors.”
