Buhari leaves for Nairobi to attend TICAD VI

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari will leave Abuja, on Friday, to attend the two-day sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VI) in Nairobi, Kenya.

The conference begins on Saturday and will end on Sunday.

It is being co-organised by the government of Japan, the United Nations Office of the Special Adviser on Africa, the United Nations Development Programme, the African Union and the World Bank.

It will focus on promoting structural economic transformation through diversification and industrialisation; promoting resilient health system for quality life and promoting social stability for shared prosperity.

According to a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, in Abuja, on Thursday, during the conference, Buhari would participate in plenary sessions on TICAD in alignment with African Development, the dialogue with the private sector, as well as the global launch of the second Africa Human Development Report.

The president will also hold a bilateral meeting with the Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe.

The statement added that no fewer than 35 African leaders were expected at the high level summit, which would also be attended by leading private sector companies from Japan.

This will be the first time TICAD is being held in Africa since its inception in 1993.

It said Nigeria had played a prominent role at the forum, aimed at forging international partnerships for Africa’s transformation and prosperity through economic growth, agriculture and social stability.