Nigeria’s delegation to the G77+China Summit, led by Vice President Kashim Shettima, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Republic of Cuba to strengthen cooperation in the fields of Innovation, Science, and Technology.
The signing ceremony took place during the G77+China Summit at Hotel Palco La Habana and is considered a significant achievement of Nigeria’s participation in the summit.
“The areas of cooperation covered by the bilateral agreement include biotechnology; scientific investigation and innovation; technological development; human resources development; specialist Exchange in the area of Science and Technology; technologies transfer for development areas,” the State House Director of Information, Office of the Vice President, Olusola Abiola, revealed in a statement he signed Saturday.
The MoU was signed by Nigeria’s Minister of Innovation, Science & Technology, Uche Nnaji, and Cuba’s Minister of Science, Technology, and Environment, Elba Montoya.
Minister Nnaji praised President Bola Tinubu for his leadership, which led to the signing of the agreement, and emphasized Nigeria’s commitment to leveraging the opportunities provided by this bilateral agreement. He pledged to initiate the implementation of the agreement promptly and establish the necessary mechanisms to outline a program of action.
Vice President Shettima underscored Nigeria’s strong commitment to South-South cooperation as a means of promoting sustainable development in the global South. The bilateral agreement is expected to focus on Research and Development (R&D) and human resource development, further strengthening the partnership between Nigeria and Cuba.
Prior to the summit, Vice President Shettima had expressed Nigeria’s intention to sign important MoUs with Cuba in the fields of agriculture, science, and technology development. The signing ceremony was attended by high-level officials, including the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Adamu Lamuwa, Nigeria’s Ambassador to Cuba, Ben Okoyen, and other government representatives.
