Vice President Kashim Shettima says the current revival going on in sectors like agriculture and digital economy are pointers to the fact that Nigeria will be a force to be reckoned with globally in the next decade.
He made the declaration in an interview in Davos, Switzerland, where he is representing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the ongoing World Economic Forum.
Natural Resources
Hesaid that “the natural resources of Nigeria would also be harnessed to ensure that the country revamps its economy, to have more funds for the nation’s developmental drive.”
Vice President Shettima, who is leading Nigeria’s delegation to the global economic forum, was very optimistic that the steps being taken by President Tinubu are in the right direction as he said the required results would be seen in no distant future.
He identified the digital economy, agricultural and solid minerals sectors as the vibrant ones, stressing that in the next decade or two, the story of Nigeria’s economy will change.
“Oil is a percentage of our GDP and it is gradually declining. Telecommunications is ruling the west; I see Nigeria in the next 20-30 years running a diversified economy with the income largely coming from the digital world, digital commerce or from agriculture and value addition in our natural resources.
“It goes beyond exporting raw materials. So, I believe that in the next couple of years we are going to reposition the Nigerian economy, especially with the emergence of the African Free Trade Area,” he said.
Vision 20:30
VP Shettima revealed that Nigeria is pursuing a vision tagged vision 20:30, through which the country intends to place itself on the global map, by showcasing its abundant talents.
Nigerian Brand
“We have a grand vision called ‘Nigeria’s Destination 2030’ . We cannot run away from the fact that the Nigerian arts and culture are creating waves in the global scene; we have Nigerians that are making waves in the fashion industry. A Nigerian producer is creating waves on Netflix and some of our artistes are doing well in the global scene so, we are here to sell the Nigerian brand,” the Vice President stressed with pride.
Slim Delegation
On the slim delegation that accompanied him to Davos, following the new policy of government, the Vice President said:
“It is not the numbers that count but our ability to sell the Nigerian brand. I am wholly in alignment with the President’s decision to scale down the number of our entourage because perception counts.
“When we go with a huge delegations, Nigeria seems to be disgusted and the recent pronouncements on scaling down the number of delegation actually rhymes down very well with the Nigerian populace and I believe that in the fullness of time, it will have its net effect on our economy.”
Nigeria’s outing at the 2024 World economic Forum is judged by pundits as modest, as the country used the opportunity to woo more investors. It also used the occasion to showcase its brand at a special event tagged Nigeria night, where the country’s musical and movie talents were appreciated by the global audience.
Mercy Chukwudiebere
