Nigeria reaffirms support for WTO, multilateralism at BRICS summit
Vice President Kashim Shettima has reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the multilateral trading system, saying no country can prosper in isolation from the global community.
Shettima stated this on Saturday during a meeting with WTO Director-General, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, on the sidelines of the ongoing 18th BRICS Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi, India.
The Vice President said Nigeria would continue to support the WTO in strengthening multilateralism and promoting a global system based on cooperation rather than isolation.
“I believe the world is greater than one nation. We will continue to support the WTO in championing the cause of multilateralism. We are essentially one human family and interconnected. You cannot divorce yourself from the global community,” he said.
Shettima also described migration as an important driver of development, innovation and economic growth, noting that immigrants had historically contributed to the growth of nations and cities across the world.
“Nations are built by immigrants. Even cities are built by people who came from outside, not just by the locals. That goes to show that we have so much to gain from global migration,” he said.
The Vice President cited the Nigerian diaspora as an example, saying Nigerians living abroad had distinguished themselves in education, business and professional careers.
He referenced a recent Pew Research Center analysis of 2024 US Census Bureau data which showed that 67 per cent of Nigerian-born Black immigrants aged 25 and above in the United States held at least a bachelor’s degree, the highest proportion among the major Black immigrant groups examined.
