According to the Presidency, President Muhammadu Buhari will leave Nigeria on Saturday to attend the 5th United Nations Convention on the Least Developed Countries (LCDs) in Doha, the capital of Qatar.
The official journey was made in response to a request from the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, according to a statement from the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu.
Shehu reveals that the conference's topic, "From Potential to Prosperity," will run from March 5 to March 9.
He continued by saying that the event, which only occurs once every ten years, offers a chance to seek the assistance of the international community in order to advance sustainable development in LDCs and help them move closer to attaining prosperity.
The statement partly reads, “In Doha, President Buhari will reinforce Nigeria’s commitment to support the most vulnerable countries to meet their development challenges, highlighting areas through which 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 sustainable solutions to challenges of poverty, adverse effects of climate change, food and energy crisis as well as high-debt burden among others, the Nigerian leader will vigorously reiterate the need for sustainable solutions for countries facing these severe challenges.”
Leaders from around the globe, representatives from business, civil society, and youth organizations are expected to attend the summit.
The LDCs are battling to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, and the Presidency further explained that it seeks to share developmental ideas and mobilize political will, solidarity, action, and solutions to transform the LDCs. Shehu continued, listing the issues that need to be resolved as poverty, food insecurity, hunger, a lack of (or) poor infrastructure, poor healthcare centers, and climate change among others.
He further stated that “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, 2023”.
