October 16, (THEWILL) – Vice President Kashim Shettima has departed Abuja for Sweden on a 2-day visit to represent Nigeria in bilateral engagements with the Scandinavian nation.
A statement by Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Communications, said the trip is at the instance of President Bola Tinubu.
THEWILL reports that President Tinubu is currently on a two-week annual leave in Europe. President Tinubu departed Abuja, on Wednesday, October 2, for his annual vacation in the UK. On Friday, Tinubu departed the UK for Paris, France after spending nine days in London.
Nkwocha said during the working visit, Vice President Shettima 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 also 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 USD 205 million tech investment fund for Africa.
“Norrsken22 is a technology growth fund, backed by over 30 prominent unicorn founders, partnering with exceptional entrepreneurs building Africa’s next tech giants.
“The meeting with Norrsken will provide insights into how Nigerian entrepreneurs can benefit from this fund and further strengthen the technology ecosystem in Nigeria.
“Notably, 40% of the investments from Norrsken22 are expected to be allocated to Nigerian technology entrepreneurs.
“Twelve (12) Nigerian private sector companies that are doing business with Sweden are going independently as a private sector bloc”, the statement added.
While in Sweden, VP 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. The myriad of opportunities that abound in Africa’s largest economy will also be showcased.
The Vice President is expected back in the country on Saturday.
