President Muhammadu Buhari will leave Nigeria on Saturday for the 5th United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LCDs) in Doha, Qatar’s capital city, the presidency says
Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, stated in a statement that the official trip is in response to an invitation from Qatar’s Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
The conference will be held from March 5 to 9, with the theme ‘From Potential to Prosperity,’ according to Shehu.
He added that the event occurs once every decade and provides an opportunity to garner international support for accelerating sustainable development in LDCs as well as assisting them in making progress toward prosperity.
“In Doha, President Buhari will reinforce Nigeria’s commitment to supporting the most vulnerable countries in meeting their development challenges, highlighting areas where the Nigerian government has provided them with various forms of assistance over time,” the statement reads in part.
“As most of these countries struggle to find long-term solutions to challenges such as poverty, the adverse effects of climate change, food and energy crises, and high debt burdens, among others,” the Nigerian leader said, “the Nigerian leader will vehemently reiterate the need for long-term solutions for countries facing these severe challenges.”
World leaders, the private sector, civil society, and youth organizations are expected to attend the summit.
The Presidency went on to say that it aims to share developmental ideas and mobilize political will, solidarity, action, and solutions to transform LDCs by finding long-term solutions to various challenges as they strive to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
Poverty, food insecurity, hunger, poor or non-existent infrastructure, inadequate health facilities, and climate change are among the issues that must be addressed, according to Shehu.
“President Buhari’s delegation includes some Ministers and top government officials who are expected to use the opportunity of the visit to sign some agreements and Memoranda of Understanding with the Qatari government.
“The President is expected to return to the country on Wednesday, March 8,” the presidential spokesman said.
