By Adedapo Adesanya
The Secretary of State of the United States, Mr Anthony Blinken, has reiterated the country sees a huge potential in investing in the Nigerian tech sector.
Recall that Mr Blinken is on a West African tour of four nations – Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Cape Verde, and Angola.
He came to Nigeria on Tuesday and met with President Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja to discuss US-African partnerships over trade, climate, infrastructure, health, security, and other issues.
He noted that American entrepreneurs and companies were eager to partner with and invest in Nigeria, especially in the tech sector.
“American entrepreneurs and American companies are eager to partner with and invest in Nigeria’s economy, particularly in the tech sector, we have tech giants that have teamed up with Nigerian partners to help Mr president’s new One Million Digital Jobs Initiative.
“Other companies are part of laying undersea cables, using satellite technology to expand access to the internet. Our tech incubators are fostering Nigeria’s next startups.
“Our venture capital companies are working to finance, so we want to work in partnership to help drive Nigeria’s technological revolution, which is creating jobs.
“It’s growing businesses, and it’s growing innovations in both of our countries,” he said.
Mr Bliken also reiterated the significant role of Nigeria in the development partnership between America and the African continent because of its economic and political position.
He said that the US was working to ensure that Africa gets more voice in the United Nations decision-making as a way of incorporating the new realities and dynamics of the world.
On security, while in Abidjan Mr Blinken hailed Ivory Coast’s stand against last year’s coup in Niger and its approach of building security together by investing economically to combat extremism in northern areas bordering Mali and Burkina Faso.
“I have to applaud the approach that’s been taken by Cote d’Ivoire – working with communities, listening to communities, making sure that their security forces understand the needs, the concerns of communities,” Mr Blinken said alongside the Ivorian president, Mr Alassane Ouattara.
He also said the US would provide an additional $45 million to West African nations as part of a plan to battle instability, bringing total funding under the programme which was instituted at a 2022 summit in Washington to nearly $300 million.
