Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, has applauded the Gates Foundation for sustaining investments and humanitarian aid in Nigeria, saying the Foundation remains the nation’s strategic partner in the drive to change the Nigerian narrative.
Accordingly, he pledged support for the Foundation’s request to deepen and broaden its partnership with the Nigerian government and the private sector in digital transformation, nutrition, agriculture and health sectors, among others.
Senator Shettima spoke on Wednesday when he received in audience a delegation of the Gates Foundation led by President of the Foundation’s Global Growth and Opportunity (GGO) division, Mr. Hari Menon, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He commended members of the Nigerian team of the Gates Foundation for their passion for the Nigerian Project, describing them as very strategic partners.
“I’m mightily proud of them. I call them in the oddest of hours and they attend to us. We deeply appreciate the Gates Foundation. It is our strategic partner in the drive to change the Nigerian narrative. We need the Gates Foundation not just as a strong and consistent partner but as a major stakeholder in the Nigeria Project.
“You have sustained investments across human capital development, nutrition, agriculture, health system and so many areas. We can’t thank you enough, and honestly, I want to assure you that we will elevate that relationship to a higher pedestal, especially in the area of nutrition, which is now receiving the highest level of support.”
The Vice President noted that Nigeria is a country with great potential, and that if the nation gets its act right, it would surpass some major economies of the world, just as he described the country as the sleeping giant of Africa, taking a leaf from Napoleon Bonaparte who once described China as “a sleeping giant.”
VP Shettima stressed the need to increase agricultural productivity by adopting modern technologies, optimizing inputs, and improving farm management practices, even as he identified key strategies in achieving this to include utilizing high-yield and climate-resilient seed varieties, precision farming, and improved irrigation systems.
“On the investment in agriculture, you just mentioned your trip to Niger State. The whole mantra is about increasing the GDP. I am an agricultural economist by training, a banker by profession, and a politician by calling. We have been talking about agriculture for far too long but the whole mantra is about how to increase productivity,” he stated.
Explaining why they were at the Presidential Villa to meet with the Vice President, Mr. Menon, President of the GGO division of the Foundation, said they were on a mission to deepen and broaden the Foundation’s partnership with Nigeria.
He maintained that the idea is to advance the ongoing reforms of the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, acknowledging that the country is going through a remarkable moment under the administration.
He said, “Nigeria is going through a very remarkable moment led by the reformist vision of the President and the Vice President. There are lots of very dynamic changes underway and the Gates Foundation is privileged to have the opportunity to partner with the government of Nigeria and with the private sector innovators of Nigeria to really contribute to long term economic transformation and development.
“The Gates Foundation’s work focuses on three broad goals: accelerating the reduction in preventable maternal and child deaths, elimination of infectious diseases and partnering with countries on economic opportunities to drive prosperity and more inclusive economic future.
“In all of these areas, Nigeria is emerging as a trailblazer, and we really look forward to deepening and broadening our partnerships, particularly with in-country institutions, innovators and leaders. Progress in Nigeria also contributes lessons that can benefit the rest of the global south not only within the continent but also more broadly.”
