Vice President Kashim Shettima arrived in Luanda, Angola, on Monday afternoon to represent Nigeria at the 7th African Union–European Union Summit. He stepped into the summit venue around 2:00 p.m. local time after travelling from Johannesburg, where he had earlier attended the G20 summit on behalf of President Bola Tinubu.
President Tinubu did not attend the meeting in person as he chose to remain in Nigeria to respond to growing security challenges following the abduction of more than 300 people within a short period. Shettima attended the event alongside the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, as part of Nigeria’s official delegation.
During the two-day summit, the Vice President is expected to join discussions focused on improving cooperation between Africa and Europe in areas such as security, trade, governance, migration, and regional stability. He will also take part in special sessions on peace, security, migration, and mobility. Although not listed as a public speaker, he is scheduled to present Nigeria’s position during a closed-door session.
The summit, themed around peace and prosperity through multilateral cooperation, is being co-chaired by Angola’s President João Lourenço and European Council President António Costa. The event marks 25 years of structured cooperation between Africa and the European Union, with trade between both regions reported to have reached about 410 billion dollars in 2024.
Leaders of major institutions, including the African Union Commission, European Commission, European Council, and the United Nations, are also attending. Deliberations on governance, security, economic growth, migration, and movement of people are ongoing, with a joint press briefing expected at the end of the summit.