Africa: Assistant Secretary Thomas-Greenfield's Travel to Nigeria

WASHINGTON, February 17, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ --Media Note

Office of the Spokesperson

Washington, DC

February 16, 2014

Today, Assistant Secretary of State Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Bureau of African Affairs, made her third trip to Nigeria since becoming Assistant Secretary in August. After spending the day in Kano, she travels now to Abuja to lead the United States delegation to the U.S.-Nigeria Binational Commission (BNC) meeting February 17-18.

While in Kano, the Assistant Secretary met with Governor Kwankwaso as part of her continuing discussions with Nigerian officials, politicians, civil society groups, and community leaders on ways to strengthen the U.S-Nigeria bilateral relationship and partnerships.

The BNC is a valuable forum for frank, high-level conversations on issues of bilateral concern and a means to turn common cause into creative thinking and coordinated action. BNC working groups have convened ten times since the creation of the BNC framework in 2010. The BNC reflects the strong U.S-Nigeria bilateral relationship to work together on a broad range of goals, including good governance, transparency, and integrity; regional security; energy and investment; agriculture and food security; and the Niger Delta.