Vice President Kashim Shettima yesterday formally opened Nigeria House at the 2026 World Economic Forum in Davos, describing the country’s first-ever sovereign pavilion at the annual meeting as a statement of Nigeria’s renewed seriousness and readiness to engage the global economy as an active participant.
In a statement by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, Office of the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha, the vice president said nations do not prosper in isolation and stressed that Nigeria’s future growth depends on deliberate, structured engagement with the world.
“For the first time in our nation’s history, Nigeria stands at Davos with a sovereign pavilion of its own,” he said, adding that Nigeria House “reflects our intention, our seriousness, and above all our resolve to take a front-line seat in the discourse of the global economy, not as observers, but as participants with a clear sense of purpose.”
The Vice President noted that although Nigeria House was conceived as a whole-of-government platform, bringing together leadership across trade, investment, foreign affairs, energy, infrastructure, technology, climate and culture, its success would ultimately be driven by private enterprise.
“Government can open doors and de-risk environments; only enterprise can animate growth and translate policy into productivity”, he sad.
Shettima said the commissioning coincides with early dividends from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s reforms, citing stronger non-oil growth and improved macroeconomic indicators.
He added that services, agriculture, finance and technology are expanding, while non-oil revenues now account for a larger share of government collections.
Inflationary pressures, he said, eased through 2025, foreign reserves improved, and stability returned to the foreign exchange market.
Inviting global investors to engage through the new platform, the Vice President said Nigeria House would host forward-looking conversations.
“Nigeria is open for business, and more importantly, open for collaboration. Progress is not a monologue; it is a dialogue,” he said.
The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole, applauded Shettima’s support for the project, describing Nigeria House as a product of strong public-private partnership and a symbol of renewed national pride.
She said investment playbooks launched at the event outline opportunities across solid minerals, climate-smart agriculture, creative and digital sectors, aligning with the administration’s drive to rebuild trust and restore credibility.
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, Engr. Faruk Yusuf Yano, said Nigeria House would consolidate gains of ongoing economic transformation by attracting non-oil investments and advocating fairer access to finance for emerging markets.
The Lead Execution Partner, Omowunmi Imoukhuede, said the pavilion offers a rare chance to tell Nigeria’s investment story to the world.
The commissioning followed a Global Business Roundtable on resilient supply chains for the energy transition.
Dignitaries at the event included the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Kingsley Ude; the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar; heads of agencies and captains of industry.
