Vice President Kashim Shettima will be standing in for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the 39th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of African Union, AU, Heads of State and Government, including the 30th General Assembly, scheduled to hold on February 14 and 15, 2026, respectively.

The Vice President, arriving Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Thursday evening, was received at the Bole International Airport by the Ethiopian Minister of Innovation and Technology, Dr. Belete Mola, alongside the Ethiopian State Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Berhanu Tsegaye.

An advanced team of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yussuf Tuggar; Permanent Secretary in the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Amb. Dunoma Ahmed; Chargé d'Affaires, Embassy of Nigeria, Ethiopia, Amb. Nasiru Aminu; Head of Consular and Ambassador-Designate, Amb. Geoffrey Chima and other government officials, were also on ground to receive VP SHettima at the Airport.

On arrival, the Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Tuggar, debriefed the Vice President on his itinerary at the Summit.

This year's AU summit, with the theme, “Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063,” will focus on advancing continental commitments toward sustainable water management, improved sanitation systems, and the broader development aspirations encapsulated in the AU’s Agenda 2063 framework.

Besides the Heads of State meetings, Senator Shettima will participate in high-level side events, and bilateral engagements with political and business leaders aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s diplomatic, economic, and strategic partnerships across the continent.