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Nigeria has reaffirmed its commitment to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the multilateral trading system, saying countries cannot achieve prosperity by isolating themselves from the global community.
Vice President Kashim Shettima restated Nigeria’s position during a meeting with WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on Saturday on the sidelines of the ongoing Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi, India.
According to a statement by Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications in the Office of the Vice President, Shettima said Nigeria would continue to support the WTO in advancing multilateralism.
STATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE
Nigeria Reaffirms Support For WTO, Multilateralism At BRICS Summit
** *As VP Shettima hails Nigerian diaspora’s global contributions
Nigeria has reaffirmed its commitment to the World Trade Organisation @wto and the multilateral trading system, saying… pic.twitter.com/82aC4MCECb
— Stanley Nkwocha (@stanleynkwocha_) September 12, 2026
He said the global system should be based on cooperation rather than isolation, stressing the interconnectedness of countries and people around the world.
“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,” he said.
Shettima also described migration as an important contributor to development, innovation and economic growth, noting that immigrants had historically played a role in building 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 explained.
Using the Nigerian diaspora as an example, the Vice President said Nigerians living abroad had continued to distinguish themselves through education, enterprise and professional achievements.
Shettima cited a recent Pew Research Center analysis of 2024 US Census Bureau data, which found 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.
“Recent Pew Research Center analysis of 2024 US Census Bureau data 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,” he stated.
The Vice President also praised Okonjo-Iweala’s leadership of the WTO and encouraged her to continue using her experience to contribute to global development.
Okonjo-Iweala, who is the first woman and first African to lead the WTO, began her second four-year term as Director-General in September 2025.
Shettima is expected to address BRICS leaders on Sunday, where he will present Nigeria’s partnership and foreign investment opportunities at the summit.
The summit is being held under the theme, “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.”
Shettima is also expected to reiterate Nigeria’s push for a more inclusive international order and highlight President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, including reforms, infrastructure expansion and private-sector-led growth aimed at creating sustainable opportunities for Nigerians.
