Virtual UN development financing summit holds

World leaders, including President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria on Thursday engaged in a virtual summit of the United Nations High-Level Event on Financing for Development in the Era of COVID-19 and Beyond.

Buhari’s participation was at the invitation of the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres.

The High-Level Event is jointly hosted by Prime Ministers Justin Trudeau of Canada and Andrew Holness of Jamaica.

The event brings together world leaders and international organisations in a joint initiative to sharpen and accelerate the global response to the economic and human impacts of COVID-19.

It also seeks to advance concrete solutions to the development emergency.

African leaders participating in the virtual meeting, which has more than 50 world leaders, include the African Union Chair and South Africa President, Cyril Ramaphosa as well as the Presidents of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo and Sierra Leone, Julius Bio.

The Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama; Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed; the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari and the President’s two media aides, Femi Adesina and Garba Shehu were at the venue of the virtual event.