President Muhammadu Buhari will on Sunday, leave for Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, to attend the 15th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).

The president’s media aide, Garba Shehu, who confirmed this in a statement, said the conference aimed to address the future of land regarding desertification, drought, degradation, rights, restoration and implications for national and world economies.

Mr Shehu said the Nigerian leader would join other world leaders at the Sofitel Hotel, Abidjan, for the conference, with the theme, “Land. Life. Legacy: From scarcity to prosperity.”

The presidential aide said the conference aims to take action to ensure that land, the lifeline on the planet, continues to benefit present and future generations.

“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.

“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,” he said.

Mr Buhari, who is also the president of the Great Green Wall in Africa, will be accompanied on the trip by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama and Minister of Environment, Mohammed Abdullahi.

Others are Minister of Agriculture Mahmoud Mohammed and Minister of Water Resources Suleiman Adamu.

Also on the president’s team to Abidjan are National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno, director general, National Intelligence Agency, Ahmed Rufai and chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri- Erewa.  

(NAN)