The recent G77 summit in Havana, Cuba ended with a call for a new world order that will bridge the gap between advanced and developing nations.
The UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres told world leaders at the summit that G77 should work with the UN to bring about what he called equality for Global South. He said the world was failing developing nations and that it was time to support them to mitigate climate change and lessen the weight of foreign debts.
The summit acknowledged the concerns of leaders over the devastating effects of climate change and the global economic system that required a change in the rules of the game for a better world.
The Cuban leader, President Miguel Diaz-Canel said that it was now up to the South to change the rules of the game to support developing nations’ common objectives.
The G77 summit attended by over 100 countries and 30 Heads of State and Government called for more say and participation of developing nations in the global governance system as part of the requirements going forward.
The bloc, a gathering of 135 developing countries, exists to pursue ways to enhance their collective economic development as well as create an improved joint negotiating capacity. It started with 77 members in 1964 and now boasts of hosting eighty percent of the world’s population.
The group was formed through a joint declaration of 77 ‘non-aligned’ nations issued at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The first meeting of the group was held in Algiers, Algeria in 1967, where the Charter of Algiers was adopted and the process for instituting permanent institutional structures of G77 began. Nigeria, a founding member of the G77 bloc, actively participates in all the annual gatherings of the body.
Nigeria’s Vice President Kashim Shettima led his country’s delegation to the summit which has as its theme “Current Development Challenges: The Role of Science, Technology, and Innovation.”
The summit explored proactive ways of addressing challenges facing the development of member-states, leveraging science, technology, and innovation to enhance socio-economic growth.
One of the gains of Nigeria’s participation at the summit was the strengthening of ties with the host country, Cuba. During a courtesy visit by Vice President Kashim Shettima to the Cuban Vice President, Salvador Valdes Mesa, at the Palace De Revolution in Havana, the two countries agreed to deepen mutual relations and explore opportunities in science, technology, and innovation as well as in the agricultural sector.
Specifically, Cuba expressed her readiness to explore new areas of collaboration with Nigeria in sectors such as health, biodiversity, and agriculture. On the sidelines of the summit, Nigeria and Cuba signed an agreement to further enhance collaboration in the field of innovation, science, and technology.
The signing ceremony was the high point of Nigeria’s participation at the summit, with Nigeria’s Minister of Innovation, Science & Technology, Uche Nnaji signing on behalf of Nigeria. He assured the Cuban government that Nigeria would maximize the opportunities provided by the bilateral agreement, emphasizing that the implementation of the agreement would commence in earnest.
The bilateral agreement would focus on research and development as well as human resource development. Other areas of cooperation covered by the bilateral agreement include bio-technology, scientific investigation, and innovation as well as technology transfer for development areas.
Nigeria also signed another agreement with the Cuban government on food security and agricultural advancement. Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Alhaji Abubakar Kyari signed the Memorandum of Understanding on behalf of his country. The historic signing of the MOU was aimed at strengthening the ties between Nigeria and Cuba in the field of agriculture.
It is expected that these agreements entered into by Nigeria and Cuba would go a long way in improving the Nigerian economy and attracting investments culminating in improved standards of living for citizens.
The country’s membership to the G77 bloc is a window through which Nigeria can continue to showcase its potential to the world, thus attracting partnerships and investments that will boost economic activities, create job opportunities and ultimately bring about economic prosperity for both countries.
Nigeria, being a force to reckon with in Africa, has used the G77 to maintain her leadership position in Africa and investment destination from around the world based on its huge population, and abundant human and material resources.
Nigeria must continue to engage the G77 platform to achieve mutually beneficial partnerships and strengthen diplomatic and economic ties with other nations of the world.
