Senior US and Nigerian Officials Share Optimism About Future of US-Nigeria Ties

On Wednesday, April 23, the U.S. Nigeria Council for Food Security, Trade, and Investment (USNC) convened a dinner event to discuss the bilateral economic relationship nearly 100 days after President Donald Trump returned to office. The event took place on the margins of the World Bank/International Monetary Fund Spring Meetings in Washington, DC. Massad Boulos, President Trump’s Senior Advisor for Africa, H.E. Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Finances, and Will Stevens, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for West Africa keynoted the event.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria and USNC Chairman Terence McCulley welcomed guests to the dinner with remarks on the opportunities brought about by shifts in the Trump administration’s policy towards Nigeria (and Africa more generally). The renewed emphasis on commercial diplomacy and on supporting private sector investment under the Trump administration is changing the calculus for companies considering expansion in Nigeria.

DAS Stevens echoed this optimism, also highlighting the potential for many of the Nigerian investors whom he had gotten to know well during his three years as US Consul General in Lagos to invest in the United States.

Senior Advisor Boulos, in one of his first public appearances since being appointed to his position, emphasized President Trump’s strong focus on finding peaceful resolutions to conflicts around the world, including in Africa and Nigeria. He also noted that the administration understands the opportunities to be found in Nigeria, particularly in the mining sector.

H.E. Minister of State Dr. Uzoka-Anite, speaking for the third time at a USNC event, traced the progress made towards President Bola Tinubu’s ambitious economic reforms in the time since she delivered her first keynote at our 2023 breakfast event in New York. She noted that opportunities in mining and the digital economy should be of particular interest to US investors and urged businesses to look beyond the headlines when evaluating the success of President Tinubu’s reforms.

After the keynote speeches, USNC Senior Advisor, Aubrey Hruby, moderated a discussion featuring entrepreneurs and investors in attendance.

It was an honor for the USNC to host H.E. Minister of State Dr. Uzoka-Anite, SA Boulos, and DAS Stevens and we were pleased to welcome many USNC members, including Founding Member John Coumantaros, Chairman of Flour Mills of Nigeria, Amb. John Negroponte, Vice Chairman of McLarty Associates and Honorary Co-Chair of the USNC, Wale Tinubu, Group Chief Executive of Oando, and Mamadou Beye, General Manager of Chevron.