“It’s just a great chance for me to talk about how we can deepen the economic relationship and the strategic relationship at a moment when Nigeria has a government that’s already taken really important steps in terms of economic reform.”
The United States Deputy Treasury Secretary, Adewale “Wally” Adeyemo, is set to visit Nigeria next week to boost economic ties between the two countries.
According to the New York Times, Adeyemo will meet with Nigerian government officials and representatives from the technology, entertainment, and finance sectors during his visit.
The administration led by President Joe Biden has shown eagerness to strengthen the relationship between Nigeria and the US. In the same vein, President Bola Tinubu has guaranteed foreign investors that Nigeria is poised to provide significant returns on investments.
After securing an assured amount of $14 billion worth of investments from the G20 summit, Tinubu urged potential investors to shake off their fears and assured them that he leads a team capable of driving the objective of widespread prosperity.
Adeyemo told The New York Times that his message in Nigeria would be that “the United States wants to be your partner, not only to provide development assistance, but to think about how we deepen our investment and trade relationship”.
“It’s one of those opportunities to go to a place that means a lot to me personally, but also to go to a place that means a lot to me professionally, just given that Nigeria is Africa’s largest economy with a huge demographic boom,” he said.
“It’s just a great chance for me to talk about how we can deepen the economic relationship and the strategic relationship at a moment when Nigeria has a government that’s already taken really important steps in terms of economic reform.”
Adeyemo added that he also plans to raise issues of tackling corruption and protecting the financial system during his trip.
During the visit, the US official, who is the highest-ranking member of the African diaspora in the Biden administration, will discuss new ways to diversify the economy by reducing reliance on petroleum and embracing renewable energy.
This will mark his first visit to his home country since taking office.
Recall that Adeyemo served as the deputy national security adviser (NSA) for international economics under former President Barack Obama.
