MEDIATRACNET
The three-day U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit to be hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden between December 13 and 15 in Washington will provide the opportunity to build partnerships with Africa on several key fronts, the United States government has said.
Already, 49 African heads of state and the head of the African Union have been invited to attend the high level meeting scheduled to begin on Tuesday in Washington, D.C.
The U.S. Embassy in Abuja said in a statement that the goal of the summit would be to build and expand vital political, economic, and strategic partnerships, as well as people-to-people dialogue, based on mutual interests and shared priorities in Africa.
“The summit’s agenda will be packed, including increasing sustainable food production, strengthening health systems, providing humanitarian assistance, responding to the climate crisis, reinforcing democracy and human rights, boosting U.S.-African trade, advancing peace and security, and even enhancing space research and cooperation.
“President Biden believes that U.S. collaboration with African leaders, as well as civil society, business, diaspora, women, and youth leaders, is essential to addressing these shared challenges,” the statement said.
The U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria Mary Beth Leonard, said the upcoming summit would present opportunities to deepen U.S.-Nigeria bilateral ties on multiple levels.
“We look forward not only to the Nigerian government’s robust participation in the summit, but also to hearing the views of all stakeholders in Nigeria’s promising future, including independent voices from the private sector, civil society, young people, women, and all those who are working to build a strong and inclusive democracy.”
“The summit is also an opportunity for the United States and the American people to reiterate their profound and enduring interest in engaging with Africa as a whole,” the envoy said.
Reiterating what the Secretary of State John Blinken, said during his trips to Nigeria last year and to other countries in the region earlier this year, Ms Leonard said Africa’s demographic growth and economic potential would shape not just the future of its people, but also the world.
