7th December, 2025
The Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, on Sunday departed Abuja for Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, to represent President Bola Tinubu at the inauguration of Mr Alassane Ouattara for a fourth term as President of that country.
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Senator Shettima is expected to join other leaders across Africa and beyond to witness activities lined up for the swearing-in ceremony scheduled to hold on Monday, December 8, 2025, at the Presidential Palace in Abidjan.
Ouatara was re-elected to a fourth term as President of Côte d’Ivoire on October 25, 2025, a West African country with cordial diplomatic ties with Nigeria.
Both nations collaborate significantly within ECOWAS and the African Union on security, trade, and development, formalised through a Bi-National Commission and numerous agreements covering areas such as anti-trafficking, agriculture, and the digital economy, with strong informal trade and a significant Nigerian diaspora in Côte d’Ivoire, fostering deep bilateral economic and social connections.
The Vice President is accompanied by Omar Aliyu Touray, President of the ECOWAS Commission; Senator Abubakar Sani Bello, Chairman, Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs; and Hon. Usman Zannah, member representing Kaga/Gubio/Magumeri Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives.
The Vice President is expected back in Abuja at the end of the inauguration ceremony.
