Vice President Kashim Shettima has identified education and skill development as a cure for addressing poverty and hunger in Nigeria.

According to Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications (Office of the Vice President), he stated this today at the Presidential Villa during a meeting with a delegation from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation led by the President of its Global Growth & Opportunity Division, Mr Rodger Voorhies.

Shettima emphasised how climate change affects agricultural productivity and how urgently climate-smart agriculture practises must be implemented to guarantee food security for Nigeria’s expanding population.

The Vice President therefore pleaded with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to establish a strategic alliance with the Nigerian government in order to boost the country’s agricultural output, enhance nutrition, and fortify the educational system.

Additionally, he tasked the Foundation with assisting President Bola Tinubu’s activities pertaining to gender empowerment, emphasising the importance of the girl child-focused programming to Nigeria’s efforts to reduce poverty.

Shettima conveyed his gratitude for the foundation’s noteworthy contributions to Nigeria, especially in the fields of primary healthcare delivery and the eradication of polio.