United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has urged Nigeria to spearhead Africa’s quest for a restructured global order, describing the country as uniquely positioned to lead the continent toward superpower status.
Guterres made the call during a high-level bilateral meeting with Vice-President Kashim Shettima on the sidelines of the 39th African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The meeting focused on strengthening Nigeria–UN collaboration in advancing global economic growth, peace and security, sustainable development, and coordinated humanitarian response across Africa. Discussions also centred on Nigeria’s expanding leadership role in promoting regional stability across West Africa and the Sahel.
The UN chief praised the economic reforms of President Bola Tinubu’s administration and commended Nigeria’s leadership in stabilising the Sahel and ECOWAS regions despite facing its own security challenges.
“Given Nigeria’s demographic strength, democratic continuity and deep resource base, the country stands a real chance of leading Africa to becoming the next superpower in the evolving global architecture,” Guterres said.
He noted that Nigeria’s large population, sustained democratic governance, vast natural and human resources, and longstanding commitment to multilateralism place it in a strong position to drive Africa’s influence in global affairs.
Responding, Shettima thanked the UN secretary-general for his leadership in promoting global peace and reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to multilateralism and deeper partnerships with the United Nations and other global institutions.
The vice-president reiterated Nigeria’s longstanding call for comprehensive reform of the UN system to reflect evolving global realities, stressing that Africa must have stronger representation in global decision-making structures. He also declared that Nigeria deserves a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council.
Both leaders pledged to deepen cooperation, with Guterres reaffirming the UN’s support for Nigeria’s reform agenda and its growing leadership role in advancing peace, security and development across the African continent.
