Washington, D.C.—This week, members of Nigeria’s National Assembly visited the United States on a State Department-funded trip to learn about economic diversification and fiscal responsibility, as Nigeria seeks to address a series of economic and financial challenges. The International Republican Institute (IRI) organized trips to Washington, D.C. and Houston to foster bilateral relations with U.S. government officials while exchanging lessons on prudent economic policies and maintaining strong democratic institutions.
“As Africa’s second largest economy, Nigeria’s economic and political stability is crucial to the entire African continent,” said IRI President Ambassador Mark Green. “We’re honored to host this impressive delegation of lawmakers as they conferred with American experts on economic challenges and opportunities facing their hard-won democracy.”
After meeting with Members of Congress and officials at the U.S. Departments of State and Commerce in Washington, D.C., delegates traveled to Houston, a state which has made impressive strides in economic diversification in the last decade, to hear state and local perspectives from business and political leaders.
The multiparty delegation consisted of: Senator Biodun Olujimi, Deputy Minority Whip of the Senate; Representative Samaila Suleiman, Chairman of the House Committee on Solid Minerals; Representative Asabe Vilita Bashir; Representative Anayo Edwin, Deputy Chairman of the House Committee on Rural Development; and Alao Sunday Afolabi, Program Officer at IRI’s Nigeria office in Abuja.
The exchange was funded by the Institute for Representational Government (IRG) with support from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
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