The delegation of Nigeria to the G77+China Summit led by Vice President Kashim Shettima on Saturday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Republic of Cuba to further enhance collaboration in the field of Innovation, Science and Technology between the two countries.
Africa Today News, New York reports that the signing ceremony, which happened Saturday on the sidelines of the G77+China Summit at Hotel Palco La Habana, is the highpoint of Nigeria’s participation at the summit.
According to a statement by the media office of the vice president, the Minister of Innovation, Science & Technology, Uche Nnaji, signed on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria
After the signing of the MoU, the Minister praised President Bola Tinubu for his visionary leadership, which has resulted in the signing of the agreement.
He assured that Nigeria would maximise the opportunities provided by the bilateral agreement, emphasising that the implementation of the agreement will commence in earnest.
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He expressed his determination to put in place the appropriate mechanism to work out the modalities for programme of action.
The Vice President averred that Nigeria places high premium on South-South cooperation as a platform for promoting sustainable development of the global South.
Africa Today News, New York understands that he bilateral agreement would focus on Research & Development as well as human resource development would further deepen partnership between the two countries.
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.
Earlier, reflecting on the historical context of relations between Nigeria, Africa, and Cuba, Vice President Shettima highlighted Cuba’s significant contributions, especially its support for Southern Africa. He said ‘We hold Cuba in high esteem especially your commitment to us in Africa…this is why I came with Ministers of Agriculture and that of Science, Technology and Innovation to explore future areas of partnership.’
The Vice President underscored the importance of venturing into Science, Technology, and Innovation, as well as the agricultural sector, to seize opportunities.