Sputnik reported that Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, who is rotating Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), is expected to meet U.S. President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York City to discuss the situation in Niger and ECOWAS’ response to the crisis. The UNGA is scheduled to open on Sept. 5, and the meeting is at the invitation of Biden.
The invitation comes in the wake of a visit by U.S. Special Presidential Envoy and Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Ambassador Molly Phee, who left the U.S. for Africa on Aug. 25 to meet with the leaders of ECOWAS, Nigeria, Chad and Ghana. The stated purpose of the trip was to discuss “U.S. support for ECOWAS and regional leadership in responding” to the situation in Niger, where the military seized power in late July.
According to Sputnik, Ambassador Phee “visited Tinubu in Abuja and extended Biden’s invitation to meet on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in late September to advance discussions on the Niger crisis.…
“‘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 told the Nigerian leader.
“The diplomat noted that the U.S. will encourage large-scale American investment in the West African nation, adding that the country is committed to working closely with Nigeria as part of efforts to strengthen the Nigerian and regional economies,” reported Sputnik.
