President Muhammadu Buhari will be leaving for Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, on Sunday to attend the UN Convention to Combat Desertification’s 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) (UNCCD).
Malam Garba Shehu, Buhari’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, verified this in an Abuja statement on Sunday.
The conference, according to Shehu, will focus on the future of land in terms of desertification, drought, degradation, rights, restoration, and its significance on the national and global economy.
He said that President Buhari would attend the 15th session of the COP15 of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, which is titled “Land. Life. Legacy: From Scarcity to Prosperity,” at the Sofitel Hotel in Abidjan Cote d’Ivoire.
He said, “To achieve the visionary objective of land restoration and balance, COP15 will bring together leaders from governments, the private sector, civil society and other key stakeholders from around the world to drive progress in the future of sustainable management of one of the most precious assets, land.
“The convention will explore links between land and other key development issues, which will be discussed during the high-level segment, including a Heads of States Summit, high-level roundtables and interactive dialogue sessions.
“COP 15 is a key moment in the fight against desertification, land degradation and drought.
“Accordingly, it will build on the findings of the second edition of the Global Land Outlook and offer a concrete response to the interconnected challenges of land degradation, climate change and biodiversity loss as the world steps into the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.”
The President will be joined on the visit by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, and the Minister of Environment, Mohammed Abdullahi, who is also the President of the Great Green Wall of Africa.
Others include Mahmoud Mohammed, the Minister of Agriculture, and Suleiman Adamu, the Minister of Water Resources.
