Vice President Kamala Harris met with Nigerian President Bola Tinubu today, the highest-level US interaction with President Tinubu since his inauguration in May 2023.
Harris saw Nigeria as a world leader with the greatest democracy and economy in Africa.
The duo emphasized their common commitment to protecting democracy in West Africa and the Sahel region, as well as their great worry over the attempted coup in Niger.
She strongly denounced any use of force to gain power in Niger and stressed that our considerable collaboration with the Niger government is conditional on Niger’s sustained adherence to democratic values.
She backed Tinubu’s efforts to overhaul Nigeria’s economy, particularly the elimination of fuel subsidies and the unification of foreign currency exchange rates. Building on the investments announced earlier this year during Kamala’s trip to Ghana, Tanzania, and Zambia—which included more than $8 billion in private sector commitments and $1 billion in US government commitments—Kamala and Tinubu discussed how the US and Nigerian public and private sectors can collaborate to increase private sector investment, digital inclusion, women’s empowerment, and access to clean energy.
She emphasized the US government’s long-standing support for Nigeria’s democracy and good governance, as well as countries’ obligations to ensure that security forces work in the best interests of the people they are tasked with protecting.
Kamala emphasized the strong linkages that exist between the United States and Nigeria, particularly people-to-people contacts and the Diaspora.
