Nigeria and the United States have signed a framework aimed at unlocking investment in Nigeria’s estimated $700bn mineral resources and deepening cooperation in the critical minerals sector.
The agreement was signed and exchanged on Wednesday at Nigeria’s Mission House in New York by the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, and the US Deputy Secretary of State, Christopher Landau.
The framework is expected to provide a basis for US-backed investment and business-to-business partnerships across Nigeria’s mining value chain.
Alake described the agreement as a framework for American investment in Nigeria’s mineral resources, saying it would leverage the relationship between both governments to promote business partnerships and value addition in the mining sector.
He described the agreement as a significant development that could shape the future of Nigeria’s mining industry.
Meanwhile, Vice-President Kashim Shettima has called on Nigerians living abroad, particularly those in the United States, to support the administration of President Bola Tinubu in its efforts to transform the economy.
Shettima said the Federal Government was seeking to harness the expertise, capital, networks and intellectual capacity of Nigerians in the diaspora to accelerate national development.
He described the diaspora community as “the greatest resource of the future.”
The Vice-President spoke on Wednesday at Nigeria House in New York during an interactive session with members of the Nigerian community in the United States.
The meeting was organised by the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa.
Shettima said the Tinubu administration was implementing reforms across critical sectors, including education, healthcare, agriculture, science and technology, while working to create an environment conducive to investment and economic growth.
He also defended the administration’s economic reforms, saying Tinubu had demonstrated the courage to take difficult decisions from the beginning of his administration rather than dwell on the challenges inherited from the previous government.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, described Nigerians in the diaspora as important partners in Nigeria’s development.
She urged them to deploy their expertise, investments, networks and global experience towards advancing the country.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu said the Vice-President’s participation in the engagement underscored the importance the Federal Government attached to Nigerians abroad, their welfare and their contributions to national development.
She said the diaspora remained an important pillar of Nigeria’s foreign policy and should be regarded as strategic partners rather than solely as sources of remittances.
The minister described the town hall meeting as part of the government’s continuing engagement with Nigerians abroad, saying effective diaspora engagement required trust, openness and sustained communication.
