In the second leg of his Africa tour in Nigeria, Blinken said at a joint press conference with his counterpart, Geoffrey Onyeama, that the USA signed a $2.17 billion development aid program with Nigeria during the visit and that his country will continue to invest in security in Nigeria.
Pointing out that the USA's participation in infrastructure in Africa is not related to China, Blinken stated that he aimed to improve the infrastructure standard without the countries in the continent being burdened with debt.
Emphasizing that his country "want to rise to the top" in African infrastructure while competing with China, Blinken said, "When it comes to infrastructure investment, it's not about China or anyone else, it's about what we want to think of as a race to the top with these investments." said.
Pointing out that Chinese investment in Africa is a good thing in principle, Blinken stressed that countries should not be left with "colossal debts that they cannot pay" and that there should be guarantees for workers' rights, environmental protection and anti-corruption.
Blinken noted that the developed countries in the G7 will invest in Africa as part of the "Build Bank Better World" program.
"We are cautious about borrowing from China"
Nigerian Foreign Minister Onyeama also said the government is cautious in borrowing loans from China while seeking the best deal for Nigeria.
Onyeama said the market struggle between US and Chinese interests in Nigeria only shows the country's attractiveness for the developed world.
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