President Buhari arrives Washington for U.S.-Africa leaders summit

President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday arrived in Washington DC, to attend the United States-Africa Leaders Summit.

Mr Buhari arrived at the Joint Base Andrews, Air Force Base, Maryland, at about 6.25 p.m. local time.

The president was received by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, Nigeria’s ambassador to the U.S., Uzoma Emenike and the permanent representative of Nigeria to the UN, Tijjani Muhammad-Bande. Other Nigerian diplomats on the ground to welcome the president were Nigeria’s consul general in New York, Lot Egopija and his counterpart in Atlanta, Amina Smaila.

Mr Buhari was accompanied by Bala Mohammed and AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, governors of Bauchi and Kwara, respectively, as well as some ministers and other top government officials.

The president will join other African leaders at a high-level meeting that will hold between Tuesday and Thursday at the instance of U.S. President Joe Biden.

“African governments, civil society, diaspora communities across the United States, and the private sector to continue strengthening our shared vision for the future of U.S.-Africa relations,” presidential media aide Garba Shehu said in a statement.

On the first day, Mr Buhari would speak on ‘Conservation, Climate Adaptation and a Just Energy Transition’, focusing on the ‘Just Energy Transition’ component.

The Nigerian leader would also address other sub-themes of the summit and participate in the US-Africa Business Forum (USABF). The U.S. Department of Commerce will host the forum.

On the sidelines of the summit, the Corporate Council of Africa will host the Nigerian delegation to a U.S.-Nigeria Business and Investment Forum Business Roundtable.

(NAN)