G20 summit: Tinubu arrives in Rio de Janeiro

President Bola Tinubu has arrived in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to attend the 19th Heads of State and Government Summit of the Group of 20 (G20). He landed on Sunday at 11:03 p.m. local time (Monday 3:03 a.m. Nigerian time) and was greeted by Ambassador Breno Costa from Brazil’s Ministry of External Relations. Accompanying the President are key officials, including Mr. Yusuf Tuggar, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Mr. Idi Mukhtar Maiha, Minister of Livestock Development; and Hannatu Musawa, Minister of Art, Tourism, Culture, and Creativity. Other attendees include Dr. Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, and Ambassador Mohammed Mohammed, Director General of the National Intelligence Agency.

While at the summit, President Tinubu is expected to hold bilateral talks focused on Nigeria’s socio-economic reforms. The event is being hosted by Brazil’s President, Mr. Lula da Silva, who has held the rotating presidency of the G20 since December 21, 2023. His term will conclude on November 30.

The summit, themed “Building a Just World and a Sustainable Planet,” will address key topics such as sustainable development in economic, social, and environmental contexts, as well as global governance reform. Other issues to be discussed include climate change, the digital economy, the Israel-Hamas conflict, and the growing geopolitical tensions between the United States and China.

At the end of the summit, the G20 members will review and approve the agreements reached during the year and consider solutions for addressing global challenges.