U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken held talks Thursday in Abuja with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama and other officials to discuss furthering cooperation on global health security, expanding energy access and economic growth, and revitalizing democracy, according to the U.S. State Department.
Nigeria is the second of three African countries Blinken will visit over a five-day period. On Friday, the top U.S. diplomat will deliver a major speech in Nigeria on the Biden administration’s Africa policy.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, accompanied by Nigerian Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama, right, speaks at a news conference at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja, Nigeria, Nov. 18, 2021.
Democracy was a key topic of Blinken’s first stop in Kenya on Wednesday, telling a group of human rights activists in Nairobi that the world is undergoing a ‘recession’ of democracy. He warned that ‘even vibrant democracies like Kenya’ have become increasingly vulnerable to misinformation, corruption, political violence and voter intimidation.
