President Muhammadu Buhari departed Nigeria on Saturday for the 5th United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LCDs) in Doha, the capital city of Qatar.

In a statement, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, noted that the official trip follows an invitation by the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

According to Shehu, the conference will be held from March 5 to 9, under the theme, ‘From Potential to Prosperity’.

He added that the event holds once a decade and provides an opportunity to garner the support of the international community for accelerating sustainable development in the LDCs as well as assist them to make progress towards achieving prosperity.

The statement partly reads, “In Doha, President Buhari will reinforce Nigeria’s commitment to supporting 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.”

The summit is expected to be attended by world leaders, the private sector, civil society and youth organisations.

The Presidency further explained that it aims to share developmental ideas and mobilise political will, solidarity, action and solutions to transform the LDCs, by finding sustainable solutions to various challenges, as they struggle to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.

Shehu added that the challenges to be addressed, include poverty, food insecurity, hunger, weak or non-existent infrastructure, inadequate health facilities, and climate change, among others.

“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.

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