Vice President Kashim Shettima on Monday welcomed Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja. The Crown Princess, who arrived at the Villa at 2:13 PM, was greeted by Senator Ibrahim Hadejia, Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, who led her to the Vice President’s office for their official meeting.
Crown Princess Victoria is in Nigeria for an official visit from April 7 to April 9, 2025, with the goal of strengthening diplomatic and economic relations between Sweden and Nigeria. The Swedish Embassy stated that the visit is aimed at further enhancing bilateral ties in various sectors.
Throughout her stay, the Crown Princess is expected to engage with key Nigerian leaders, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, and the Governor of Lagos State. A major highlight of the visit will be the commissioning of the Swedish Trade Office in Lagos, a move that is expected to foster increased trade and investment between the two countries.
The Crown Princess had previously hosted Vice President Shettima during his official visit to Sweden last October at the Royal Palace in Stockholm. This current visit marks a significant diplomatic engagement between the Swedish royalty and Nigerian leadership.
This meeting at Aso Rock is one of the rare high-profile visits by European royalty to Nigeria. In May 2024, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, visited Nigeria for three days to promote the Invictus Games, a global sports event in which Nigeria participated in 2022. Prior to that, in November 2018, Prince Charles, now King Charles III, and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, visited Nigeria as part of a West African tour. Their visit focused on peacebuilding, interfaith dialogue, environmental sustainability, and youth entrepreneurship.
Further details of Crown Princess Victoria’s visit will be shared as the meetings continue.