Nigeria Reaffirms Support for WTO, Multilateralism at BRICS Summit

Nigeria has reaffirmed its commitment to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the multilateral trading system, stressing that no country can achieve sustainable prosperity in isolation from the global community.

Vice President Kashim Shettima stated this on Saturday during a meeting with the WTO Director-General, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, on the sidelines of the ongoing BRICS Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi, India.

Shettima assured the WTO chief that Nigeria would continue to support the organisation’s efforts to strengthen multilateralism and promote a global system based on cooperation rather than isolation.

“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,” the Vice President said.

He also highlighted the role of migration in driving development, innovation and economic growth, noting that immigrants have historically contributed significantly to the development of nations and cities.

“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 added.

Shettima cited the Nigerian diaspora as an example of the positive impact of migration, noting the achievements of Nigerians abroad in education, business and professional fields.

According to him, recent analysis by the Pew Research Center of 2024 US Census Bureau data showed that 67 per cent of Nigerian-born Black immigrants aged 25 and above in the United States had at least a bachelor’s degree, the highest proportion among the major Black immigrant groups examined.

The Vice President commended Okonjo-Iweala for her leadership of the WTO and urged her to continue using her experience to advance 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, who is the first woman and first African to lead the WTO, commenced her second four-year term as Director-General in September 2025.

Meanwhile, Shettima is expected to present Nigeria’s partnership and foreign investment opportunities to leaders of the BRICS alliance on Sunday.

Speaking under the summit’s theme, “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability,” the Vice President will highlight Nigeria’s efforts to promote a more inclusive international order and advance the objectives of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

He is also expected to outline the administration’s focus on economic reforms, infrastructure expansion and private-sector-led growth as key drivers of sustainable opportunities for Nigerians.

The meeting with the WTO chief and Shettima’s engagements at the BRICS summit are part of Nigeria’s broader efforts to strengthen international economic partnerships and attract investment.