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President Joe Biden of the United States has sent a special invitation for a meeting with his Nigerian counterpart, President Bola Tinubu, at next month’s United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
Biden's invitation was conveyed through a U.S. Presidential Envoy and Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Ambassador Molly Phee.
Ambassador Phee delivered the message to Tinubu during a meeting at the State House in Abuja on Saturday, August 26, 2023.
The Special Envoy pledged U.S. support for the position of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on the political crisis in Niger Republic.
While expressing the Biden administration's high regard for Tinubu, Phee said the U.S. President has extended an exclusive invitation to meet the Nigerian President on the sidelines of the UNGA in New York to advance discussions further in late September.
“We know there is more we can do to incentivize large-scale American investment in Nigeria and we are committed to working closely with you to achieve that, as part of efforts to strengthen the Nigerian economy and the regional economy.
"We appreciate your willingness to create an enabling environment for that. President Joe Biden is asking to meet with you on the sidelines of UNGA and you are the only African leader he has requested to meet. It is a mark of his high regard for your leadership,” the U.S. Special Envoy said.
For his part, Tinubu graciously accepted the invitation for a meeting with Biden, saying the work of perfecting democracy is never done, even in developed climes, as seen recently in America and other emerging democracies.
The President also tasked the US special envoy to deepen cooperation and defence of democracy in West Africa.
Tinubu also advised Ambassador Phee to ensure that U.S. policy is intentionally collaborative with independent African democracies at a time when they are under assault by anti-democratic forces within and outside of the continent.