You’re the only African leader President Biden has requested to meet - US Envoy tells Tinubu

United States President, Joe Biden, has requested for a discussion with President Bola Tinubu.

This was disclosed when President Tinubu received the US Presidential Envoy & Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Ambassador Molly Phee on Saturday, August 26.

In a statement released by the Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, Phee told Tinubu that President Biden has requested to meet him on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City.

Phee said that Tinubu is the only African leader to the US President who has been extended such an invitation.

“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.

Tinubu on his part, urged Phee to ensure that US 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.

He added that American-backed development finance and multilateral institutions, which were designed to support war-torn Europe after World War II, require swift and comprehensive reform to meet the developmental requirements of younger democracies in Africa.

“Yes, the private sector will lead the way within an enabling environment we create for them, but the U.S. Government must be innovative in its thinking and systematically create incentives for U.S. industrial investment in Nigeria. Under my leadership, Nigeria stands ready to address its specific regulatory, tax, and environmental concerns. I am determined to create prosperity for all Nigerian families,” the President declared.

Speaking on the crisis with Niger Republic, Tinubu, who also serves as the ECOWAS Chairman said;

“We are deep in our attempts to peacefully settle the issue in Niger by leveraging on our diplomatic tools. I continue to hold ECOWAS back, despite its readiness for all options, in order to exhaust all other remedial mechanisms. War is not ideal for my economic reforms, nor for the region, but the defense of democracy is sacrosanct. The ECOWAS consensus is that we will not allow anyone to insincerely buy time.”

In conclusion, President Tinubu accepted the invitation to meet U.S. President Biden on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.