Shettima off to Sweden for bilateral talks

Vice President Kashim Shettima will depart Abuja on Wednesday for Sweden on a two-day visit to represent Nigeria in bilateral engagements with the Scandinavian nation.

The visit is “at the instance of President Bola Tinubu,” Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Communication, Mr. Stanley Nkwocha, revealed in a statement he signed Wednesday titled, ‘VP Shettima embarks on a 2-day visit to Sweden.’

During the working visit, the VP 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.

“Senator Shettima will 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.

“He will meet with key stakeholders in both the Government and Private Sector.

”The Vice President will also meet with Norrsken, a Stockholm-based venture capital impact investor, which recently launched Norrsken22, a $205m tech investment fund for Africa,” said Nkwocha.

Norrsken22 is a technology growth fund backed by over 30 prominent unicorn founders. It is partnering with other entrepreneurs to build Africa’s next tech giants.

The meeting with Norrsken is expected to provide insights into how Nigerian entrepreneurs can benefit from this fund and further strengthen the technology ecosystem in Nigeria.

Notably, 40 per cent of the investments from Norrsken22 are expected to be allocated to Nigerian technology entrepreneurs.

“Twelve Nigerian private sector companies doing business with Sweden are going independently as a private sector bloc,” he added.

While in Sweden, 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. And showcase the opportunities that abound in Africa’s largest economy.

The Vice President is expected back in the country on Saturday.