President Bola Tinubu has been invited to meet with the United States President on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City in late September. He was informed of the invitation on Saturday by the U.S. Special Presidential Envoy and Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Ambassador Molly Phee.

 

During the meeting with Phee, discussed ways to deepen cooperation and defend democracy in West Africa.

 

President Tinubu urged the U.S. to collaborate more closely with independent African democracies facing threats from anti-democratic forces within and outside the continent. He also called for swift and comprehensive reform of the U.S.-backed development finance and multilateral institutions, which he said were outdated and inadequate for the developmental needs of young democracies in Africa.

 

Consequently, he assured the U.S. envoy that he was committed to creating an enabling environment for U.S. industrial investment in Nigeria as part of his economic reform program to create prosperity for all Nigerian families. He said he was determined to address U.S. investors’ specific regulatory, tax, and environmental concerns.

 

The President also spoke about the Niger Republic coup and the efforts of the ECOWAS to peacefully resolve the issue through diplomatic means while keeping all options open. He noted that he would not allow anyone undermine democracy in the region or manipulate the legitimate aspirations of Africans.

 

Phee further informed President Tinubu of the invitation by Joe Biden. “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.  

 

President Tinubu accepted the invitation to meet with President Biden and said he looked forward to advancing the discussions further in New York City.