Sassou Nguesso made the announcement at the opening of the country's first major agricultural fair, which will run through Feb. 15 at the Bambou-Mingali site in the district of Ignie, about 60 km north of Brazzaville.

"I will continue to support the agricultural drive that I decided to launch in 2021. Therefore, I declare myself a candidate for the March presidential election," he said.

In the election, the incumbent president will run as the candidate of the Presidential Majority, a coalition comprising 18 political parties. The parties signed a joint declaration on Feb. 2 endorsing Sassou Nguesso's candidacy.