Vice President Kashim Shettima on Thursday called on the European Union (EU) and African nations to maximise their shared potential in pursuit of transformative development across the continent.
Shettima spoke at a meeting with an EU delegation led by Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
He described the EU as a natural ally of Nigeria, noting that EU investments had significantly supported President Bola Tinubu’s ongoing reform efforts.
“Our expectations as Nigerians and as Africans are clear,” Shettima said.
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“We want this partnership to graduate from well-meaning commitments to transformative outcomes. We want more joint ventures, deeper trade facilitation under the AfCFTA, and sustained investments in energy, education, and digital inclusion.”
He pledged Nigeria’s readiness to engage fully with the EU’s Global Gateway initiative, aimed at developing smart, clean, and secure infrastructure across the globe.
Shettima identified projects such as high-speed rail links, upgraded ports and airports, renewable power plants, and vocational training centres as key areas for collaboration.
He also urged the EU to move from a donor-recipient model to a partnership model rooted in co-creation of prosperity and mutual values such as democracy, freedom of worship, gender empowerment, and climate adaptability.
“We hope to see the EU move from being a donor to being a co-creator of African prosperity,” he said.
“We really want to be partners with the EU, not as recipients of aid but as co-creators of prosperity and wealth.”
Shettima commended the African Union Commission for repositioning Africa as an active player in shaping global narratives and added, “They are poised to reposition Africa not just as a subject of global discussion but as a co-author of the world’s next chapter.”
However, Ambassador Mignot reaffirmed the EU’s longstanding relationship with Africa, which this year marks its 25th anniversary.
He noted that the EU is Africa’s largest trading partner, investor, and donor, with foreign direct investment reaching €309 billion in 2022—outpacing both the United States and China.
“The EU’s commitment to Africa remains strong, and we want to enhance this presence,” Mignot said, highlighting the ongoing review of the Joint Vision for 2030, a shared strategic framework aligned with Africa’s Agenda 2063 and the AfCFTA.
In a separate engagement, Shettima reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to its historic relationship with Zambia, describing it as a bond of “fraternal brotherhood.”
He made the remarks while receiving Zambia’s Special Envoy, Samuel Miambo, who delivered a message from President Hakainde Hichilema to Tinubu.
Shettima praised Zambia’s democratic stability and contributions to civil liberties during the anti-apartheid struggle.
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He assured the envoy of Nigeria’s support for development-oriented policies aimed at improving citizens’ livelihoods in both countries.
Miambo, in his address, sought Nigeria’s support for his candidacy for the presidency of the African Development Bank (AfDB), citing a vision centred on energy security, infrastructure, and the creation of a pan-African Centre of Excellence for Energy based in Nigeria.
The envoy was accompanied by Zambia’s High Commissioner to Nigeria, George Imbuwa, and two presidential advisers.
