Nigeria has reaffirmed its commitment to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the multilateral trading system, with Vice President Kashim Shettima stressing that no country can prosper by isolating itself from the global community.
Shettima said Nigeria would continue to support the WTO in strengthening multilateralism and promoting a global system built on cooperation, connectivity and shared economic interests.
The Vice President spoke on Saturday during a meeting with the Director-General of the WTO, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, on the sidelines of the ongoing BRICS Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi, India.
According to him, the interconnected nature of the global economy makes international cooperation essential to national development and prosperity.
“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.
The Vice President also highlighted migration as an important driver of development, innovation and economic growth, noting that immigrants have historically contributed significantly to the development of nations and cities around the world.
“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.
Using the Nigerian diaspora as an example, Shettima noted that Nigerians living abroad have continued to distinguish themselves through education, entrepreneurship and professional achievements.
He cited a recent Pew Research Center analysis of 2024 US Census Bureau data, which 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 highest proportion among the major Black immigrant groups examined.
Shettima also commended Okonjo-Iweala for her leadership of the WTO, urging her to continue deploying her experience and expertise in the service of global development.
“You are doing a very wonderful job at the WTO, but you still have a lot to contribute to humanity,” he told the WTO Director-General.
Okonjo-Iweala, the first woman and first African to lead the WTO, began her second four-year term as Director-General in September 2025.
Meanwhile, Shettima is expected on Sunday to present Nigeria’s partnership and foreign investment opportunities to leaders of the BRICS alliance as the summit continues under the theme, “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.”
The Vice President is also expected to reiterate Nigeria’s commitment to a more inclusive international order while highlighting the objectives of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, including the creation of sustainable opportunities through economic reforms, infrastructure expansion and private-sector-led growth.