ABUJA, Nigeria, May 1, 2024 – The sixth round of the U.S.-Nigeria Binational Commission (BNC) was co-chaired by U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt M. Campbell and Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar in Abuja on April 29-30, 2024. The BNC, established in 2010, is the premier platform for official engagement between the U.S. and Nigerian governments, aimed at expanding cooperation and advancing shared goals and democratic values.
This year’s BNC built on the strong foundation agreed during the meeting between President Bola Tinubu and Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken in Abuja on January 23, 2024, and the momentum from the last BNC held in Washington, D.C. in February 2020.
The BNC featured five working groups covering a range of issues to advance mutual interests, reaffirming the robust bilateral cooperation enjoyed by the U.S. and Nigeria. The groups focused on shared prosperity, security cooperation, democracy, governance and accountability, health, and movement of people.
Additionally, the BNC included four discussions on expanding cooperation to identify solutions to improve outcomes in the areas of cybercrime, the African Growth and Opportunity Act, food security, and growth in the digital economy and emerging technologies.
The U.S. delegation welcomed Foreign Minister Tuggar’s vision for the future of Nigeria’s foreign policy as laid out in his 4D doctrine of Democracy, Development, Demography, and Diaspora. The two sides discussed how U.S. assistance could augment Nigeria’s efforts in these areas.
The U.S. delegation announced a visit of the President’s Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engagement to Nigeria in July. In addition, a major symposium is scheduled in Washington, D.C. in October to bring together American and Nigerian technology leaders.
