The Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), Mr. Leonardo Santos Simão, begins a five-day visit to Nigeria (Abuja) and Cameroon (Yaoundé) today.   

The visit is part of his regional familiarization tour following his appointment as Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel. He will be meeting the Nigerian authorities, the UN country team and members of the diplomatic corps. During his visit, Mr. Simão will also take part in the 4th meeting of the Steering Committee of the Regional Strategy for Stabilization, Recovery and Resilience of areas affected by the Boko Haram crisis in the Lake Chad Basin, to be held on September 27 in Abuja.   

As the Chairman of the Cameroon-Nigeria Mixed Commission (CMCN), Mr. Simão will be meeting with the heads of delegations from Cameroon in Yaoundé and Nigeria in Abuja.