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…Hails achievements of Nigerian youths in science, tech globally
From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Vice President Kashim Shettima has emphasised the need to focus on leveraging cooperation or partnership for finding realistic solutions to global challenges.
In a statement by the Director Information, Office of the Vice President, Olusola Abiola, Shettima said this while addressing world leaders, among who were Heads of State and Government, the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Gutteres and delegates from over 100 countries from the Global South at the ongoing G77+China Leaders’ Summit at the Palace Convention Havana, Cuba.
His words: “We must always remember that cooperation is our compass and the most realistic path towards maximizing the opportunities and resolving challenges before us.
“We must not allow geopolitical tensions in any corner of the world to deter us from forging a collective and mutually advantageous path forward – a roadmap of shared prosperity and progress.”
The Vice President expressed Nigeria’s commitment to tow the path of partnership with member-states of the G77+China towards addressing global challenges.
“We shall champion initiatives that harness the potential of science, technology, and innovation to confront economic challenges, particularly within the global south,” he pledged.
Speaking to the theme: “Current Development Challenges: The Role of Science, Technology and Innovation” the Vice President underscored the prominent role which science, technology and innovation have always played in resolving challenges from the past to the present.”
In his speech titled: “From Pandemic to Paradigm Shift: Nigeria’s Road to Reinvention,” Vice President Shettima said: “Throughout history, science and technology have shaped the course of nations. The phases of the Industrial Revolution, from the first to the fourth, and from mechanization to automation, have determined the prosperity of those nations.
“It is crucial to acknowledge that the developing world found itself at a disadvantage in the earliest phases of these transformations, struggling to compete fairly as these revolutions swept across the globe.”
The Vice President told his audience that Nigeria is contributing its own share in leveraging science, technology and innovation to resolving challenges such as COVID-19 and the climate crisis.
The UN Sectetary-General, Antonio Gutteres, in his brief remarks also noted the development problems confronting developing countries and promised the UN system will continue to work the G77 and China to proffer solutions to these challenges.
