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Vice-President Kashim Shettima urged global investors to consider Nigeria's expanding business prospects at the 2025 World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland.
During a discussion on investment in Africa's emerging markets on Tuesday, Shettima addressed the negative stereotypes surrounding the continent. “The narratives you hear about Africa are not solely about despair,” he remarked, likening it to Napoleon Bonaparte’s perspective on China: “China is a sleeping giant, and when it awakens, it will shake the world. Africa has awakened, and we are ready to claim our rightful position among nations.”
Shettima emphasized his experience in banking and President Tinubu’s financial acumen: “I spent 20 years in the Nigerian banking sector, serving as a general manager at Nigeria’s largest bank, Zenith Bank. The President is also a skilled chartered accountant. Nigeria is prepared for business and eager to adopt modernization with strong investment opportunities.”
While recognizing certain challenges, Shettima pointed to significant infrastructure initiatives: “The coastal highway from Calabar to Lagos represents the largest single investment in Africa. We are constructing corridors to the North, and we have the West African gas pipeline, collaborating with 14 African nations to enhance gas infrastructure extending to Morocco.”
On the sidelines of the forum, Shettima met with Botswana’s President Duma Boko to discuss enhancing relations between their countries. During this encounter, he welcomed World Trade Organisation Director General Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, commending her as “one of Africa’s finest.”
