President Muhammadu Buhari will on Sunday depart Abuja for Seoul, South Korea, to participate in the First World Bio Summit, 2022.

The president’s spokesman, Femi Adesina, confirmed this in a statement on Saturday in Abuja.

The two-day summit with the theme: “The Future of Vaccine and Bio-Health,” is jointly organised by the Republic of Korea and the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Mr Adesina said that Nigeria was invited to the summit based on her selection with five other African countries by WHO and the European Union (EU).

He said the country was invited during the last EU-African Summit in Brussels, Belgium in February this year for mRNA technology transfer and Global Training Hub for Bio-manufacturing of vaccines on the African continent.

According to the presidential aide, others expected to feature at the World Bio Summit are CEOs of global vaccine and Biologics companies.

He added that the CEOs would share and shape ideas on the theme, given that, according to the organisers, “global health security profoundly depends on the innovation and development in the bio-industry.

“The partnership between the Republic of Korea and WHO, is therefore, to underscore the above historic truth.

“It is also to underscore the need to launch international stage-efforts on the nature of creativity and innovation required to contain any future health pandemic,” Mr Adesina added.

He said that Mr Buhari would be expected to deliver a statement at the summit, and meet separately with President Yoon Suk-yeol of the Republic of Korea.

He said the president will also seek more partnerships that impact positively on the lives and safety of Nigerians during his other engagements and meetings while in Seoul.

He said the Nigerian leader would be accompanied by Governors Aminu Bello Masari and Sani Bello of Katsina state and Niger, respectively.

Others are; Geoffrey Onyeama, Osagie Ehanire and Adeniyi Adebayo, Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Health, Industry, Trade and Investment, respectively; and Timipre Sylva, Minister of State, Petroleum Resources.

Babagana Monguno, National Security Adviser; Ahmed Abubakar, Director-General, National Intelligence Agency; Moji Adeyeye, Director-General, NAFDAC and Ifedayo Adetifa, Director-General, NCDC, are also in the president’s entourage.

Others on the delegation are: Bashir Jamoh, Director-General, NIMASA; Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman, NiDCOM as well as other top government officials.

According to the presidential aide, the president is expected back home after the summit.

(NAN)