President Muhammadu Buhari has departed Abuja for Kigali, Rwanda, to attend the 26th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, CHOGM, being held from June 20 to 26, 2022.
According to a statement released on Wednesday by Femi Adesina, the President will attend the meeting with other leaders to discuss how to advance the well-being of the more than two billion people who reside in the 54 independent countries that make up the Commonwealth, which are located in Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe, and the Pacific.
The Heads of Government are expected to reaffirm their commitment to upholding the Commonwealth Charter, which focuses on democracy, human rights, and the rule of law as well as economic opportunities and sustainable development. The theme for CHOGM 2022 is “Delivering a Common Future: Connecting, Innovating, Transforming.”
On June 24, President Buhari will attend the official opening ceremony. On June 24 and 25, Heads of State and Government will meet at a high level.
A wide range of contemporary topics, including the post-COVID-19 economic recovery, debt sustainability, climate change, poverty reduction, youth entrepreneurship and employment, trade, and food security are anticipated to be discussed by the leaders.
Prior to this, a delegation from Nigeria made up of representatives from public, corporate, and youth organisations took part in four forums on youth, women, business, and civil society. The delegation will also attend ministerial meetings and a number of side events.
The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting is a biennial summit meeting of the de facto leaders from all Commonwealth nations. Despite the name, the head of state may be present in the meeting instead of the head of government, especially among semi-presidential states.
Every two years the meeting is held in a different member state and is chaired by that nation’s respective Prime Minister or President who becomes the Commonwealth Chair-in-Office until the next meeting. Queen Elizabeth II, who is the Head of the Commonwealth, attended every CHOGM beginning with Ottawa in 1973 until Perth in 2011, although her formal participation only began in 1997.
In the past, CHOGMs have attempted to orchestrate common policies on certain contentious issues and current events, with a special focus on issues affecting member nations. CHOGMs have discussed the continuation of apartheid rule in South Africa and how to end it, military coups in Pakistan and Fiji, and allegations of electoral fraud in Zimbabwe.
Sometimes the member states agree on a common idea or solution, and release a joint statement declaring their opinion. More recently, beginning at the 1997 CHOGM, the meeting has had an official ‘theme’, set by the host nation, on which the primary discussions have been focused.