Shettima Reaffirms Nigeria’s Support For WTO, Multilateral Trade System

Vice President Kashim Shettima has reaffirmed Nigeria’s support for the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the multilateral trading system, saying countries cannot achieve sustainable prosperity in isolation.

Shettima stated this on Saturday, September 12, during a meeting with WTO Director-General, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, on the sidelines of the ongoing BRICS Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi, India.

The Vice President said Nigeria would continue to support the WTO in promoting multilateralism and 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,” Shettima said.

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He also highlighted the role of migration in driving development, innovation and economic growth, noting that immigrants had historically contributed to the development of nations and major cities.

“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.

Shettima cited the Nigerian diaspora as an example, saying Nigerians living abroad had distinguished themselves through education, entrepreneurship and professional achievements.

He referenced a recent Pew Research Center analysis of 2024 US Census Bureau data which, according to him, 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 Vice President commended Okonjo-Iweala for her leadership of the WTO and urged her to continue contributing to global development.

“You are doing a very wonderful job at the WTO, but you still have a lot to contribute to humanity,” Shettima told the WTO Director-General.

Okonjo-Iweala, who became the first woman and first African to lead the WTO, commenced her second four-year term as Director-General in September 2025.

Meanwhile, Shettima is expected to address leaders of the BRICS alliance on Sunday, where he will present Nigeria’s partnership and foreign investment opportunities.

According to a statement by Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, the Vice President will also highlight the objectives of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, including reforms, infrastructure expansion and private-sector-led growth.