Vice President Kashim Shettima, yesterday, departed Abuja for Johannesburg, South Africa, to represent President Bola Tinubu at the 15th BRICS Summit of Heads of State and Government.

He is joining other business and political leaders across

the world at the event to be held at Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg from today to the 24th of this month.

The host, President Cyril Ramaphosa; his Chinese and Brazilian counterparts, Xi Jinping and Luiz Lula da Silva, as well as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are among dignitaries gracing the event.

Seventy-three others, including Secretary-General of the United Nations, chairperson of the African Union Commission and President of the New Development Bank are also invitees.

The gathering is to deliberate on trade and investment facilitation, sustainable development, innovation and global governance reform.

It will also continue its outreach to leaders from Africa and the global South, as it focuses on global geopolitics, trade and infrastructure development.

BRICS, an acronym for Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, is a group of five major emerging and developing economies.

The group accounts for more than 42 per cent of the world population, 30 per cent of the globe’s territory, 23 per cent of the global economy and 18 per cent of global trade.