United States President Joe Biden is very interested in visiting Africa, says Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who was in Nigeria on Tuesday as part of efforts to smoothen diplomatic relations with the continent.
Speaking with Channels TV’s John Momoh in an interview released on Wednesday, Mr Blinken said his principal still intends to visit Africa despite previous unfulfilled promises of doing so.
“The resident (Mr Biden) very much wants to come to Africa,” was Mr Blinken’s response when asked how previous unkept promises of visiting Africa were perceived as ranking the continent as a low priority on the U.S.-African foreign policy list.
“I think we’ve had 17 cabinet-level or department-level officials come since the Africa Leaders Summit,” the U.S. Secretary of State said to convey Mr Biden’s good intentions for the continent by sending in his subordinates to visit.
“And one of the things President Biden was so intent on is – we had three great days in Washington with the Africa Leaders Summit, but he wants to make sure that the 362 days that follow those three days to make up the year we’re focused and engaged here,” the U.S. government official added.
Three months after Bola Tinubu was sworn in as Nigeria’s president, Molly Phee, U.S. assistant secretary for African affairs, parroted a similar invitation that the Nigerian leader was the “only African leader he has requested to meet” at the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September 2023.
However, the 2023 UNGA ended without the two leaders meeting. The White House remained silent and refused to issue a statement acknowledging that Messrs Biden and Tinubu were scheduled to meet.
With the U.S. presidential elections holding in November, Mr Biden will be focused on campaigns and strategies to win his second term bid.
It is unclear when or if Mr Biden will visit the continent before the polls, where he will again face his predecessor, Donald Trump.