The Secretary-General His Excellency Ambassador Dato’ Ku Jaafar Ku Shaari and his delegation visited the Honourable Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo on 21st January, 2020 at the Presidential Villa, in Abuja.

During the visit, the Secretary-General expressed appreciation to the Hon’ble Vice President for the constant support of the Federal Government of Nigeria to the D-8 Organization. He also expressed the gratitude of the D-8 Secretariat to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Health of Nigeria for their support and assistance to the D-8 Health and Social Protection initiative.

Furthermore, the Secretary-General stated that Nigeria is one of the key Member States of the D-8 Organization and hence, the launching the office of the D-8 Health and Social Protection (HSP) Programme in Nigeria is a mark of its active participation in the Organization. He also pointed out that the health sector is of crucial importance and all Member States should focus on this field in order to tremendously improve healthcare and human capacity development.

The Secretary-General seized the opportunity to invite H. E. President Muhammadu Buhari to kindly attend the forthcoming D-8 10th Summit which is scheduled to be held in Dhaka, Bangladesh this year. He also stressed the importance of attending the Summit as the D-8 Decennial Roadmap and Plan of Action will be finalized at the event.

On his part, the Vice President thanked the Secretary-General and his team for their efforts at fostering cooperation among the D-8 Member States. He assured the Secretary General that Nigeria is committed to the D-8 Organization as it has tremendous potential for the country as well as other members. He also congratulated the Secretary-General on the signing of the Headquarters Agreement of the D-8 Health and Social Protection Programme which is very important for Nigeria and other D-8 Member States. The Hon’ble Vice President also expressed his hope that this crucial initiative will improve the primary health care delivery in D-8 Member States.

Prof. Osinbajo also stressed that enhancing cooperation with the other D-8 Member States in different fields will engender economic growth and development. He expressed the hope that the forthcoming D-8 Summit will deepen as well as widen and the scope of cooperation among D-8 Member States.

The meeting ended with presentation of gift to the Hon’ble Vice President and photo session.