The U.S. Consul-General to Nigeria, Will Stevens, announced on Tuesday that the U.S. government is willing to boost Nigeria’s tech and education sectors for the mutual development of both countries.
This statement was made during a visit by President Biden’s Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engagement Team (PAC-ADE) to Vibranium Valley Tech City in Ikeja, Lagos.
Stevens explained that to better understand the African market, the U.S. government sent the PAC-ADE team to bolster economic, technological, cultural, and educational ties in Nigeria.
According to Stevens, the diaspora council comprises individuals from academia, finance, business, tech, think tanks, and religious sectors.
By engaging with government officials, civil society leaders, tech leaders, and private-sector partners, the team aims to promote diaspora-led investments in various sectors.
Stevens noted that these dialogues could help advise the U.S. president on developing better strategies and bringing more investments to the continent.
He also highlighted the team’s tour of tech centres to witness the advancements in Lagos and Nigeria’s tech sector.
During the visit, Ms. Moyosore Asubiojo, General Manager of Vibranium Valley, showcased the tech city’s various companies focused on sectors like Power, Aviation, Education, and Fintech.
She emphasised their efforts to leverage technology to address challenges both in Nigeria and beyond its borders.
Asubiojo mentioned companies like Power Tech, EduTech VigiPay, and AviTech, which incubate numerous tech initiatives aimed at solving problems locally and globally. Additionally, the tech city specialises in talent outsourcing, connecting organisations with skilled talents across Africa through its Garden Academy.
The PAC-ADE visit follows U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s week-long visit from January 21 to January 26 to several African countries.
Blinken’s visit aimed to expand economic, development, and security partnerships across the African continent, building on the December 2022 US-Africa Leaders’ Summit.
