U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, will lead American delegation to the second Regional Security Summit and bilateral meetings scheduled for May 13 in Abuja.
This is contained in a statement issued on Thursday by the Information Unit of the U.S Embassy, Abuja.
It stated that Blinken would be joined in Abuja by Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Linda Thomas-Greenfield and the Acting Coordinator for Counterterrorism, Justin Siberell.
It stated that the Deputy Secretary would meet with senior leaders to discuss efforts to support Nigeria and the other Lake Chad Basin countries in the fight against Boko Haram.
“Participation is expected to include heads of state from Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Togo, and France.
“The Deputy Secretary will also review with Nigerian leaders progress on commitments made during the March 30, 2016 Bi-national Commission meeting in Washington,” it stated.
It stated that the Deputy Secretary would meet with civil society leaders to discuss the ongoing fight against corruption.
The statement also stated that the envoy would meet with innovators and entrepreneurs to discuss how transformations in science and technology in West Africa could advance economic opportunity through innovation.