Moghalu: Biden has set out a clear Africa policy

Kingsley Moghalu, former presidential candidate of the Young Democratic Party (YDP), says President-Elect Joe Biden has set out a clear Africa policy.

In his congratulatory message to the US leader, Moghalu said his election holds a promise of hope and unity over fear and division.

He said there are indications that Biden’s administration holds opportunity for Nigeria.

“President-Elect Biden’s election with the highest numbers of the popular vote in American history, on a ticket with the first woman to become a Vice-President of the United States, is a historic mandate from the citizens of the United States. It holds the promise of hope and unity over fear and division in a presently divided nation, an effective response to the Coronavirus pandemic, systemic racism in America, and the challenge or climate change in a manner that will boost economic growth and job creation,” he said in a statement.

“The election of President-Elect Biden holds important opportunities, in my view, for much closer collaboration between Nigeria and the United States. It remains the primary responsibility of the Federal Government of Nigeria, in line with its responsibility under the Nigerian Constitution, to secure the lives of Nigerians and to create an enabling environment for development and inclusive economic growth.

“Nevertheless, I believe there exists strong potential for a marked improvement in US-Nigeria collaboration to eradicate various terrorist threats, in particular the Boko Haram that has continued to inflict devastating attacks on Nigerian citizens and property over the past decade. All efforts so far to defeat terrorism in our country have evidently not been successful. There also are opportunities and lessons to be learned — on both sides — in promoting and strengthening democracy.

“Nigerian immigrants, professionals, and Nigerian-American citizens have made, and continue to make outstanding contributions to the growth and progress of the United States. I happen to be one of many Nigerians who received American education. As a member of the Africa Policy Group in the United States, and as a Nigerian who has served as a Professor of Practice in International Business and Public Policy at Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, an institution that has produced thousands of eminent leaders in American politics, government, business, the U.S. Armed Forces and security, it is my personal view that this diasporan reality should be leveraged for the mutual benefit of our two countries. Commendably, President-Elect Biden, even as a candidate before his election, has set out a clear Africa policy and engagement Agenda.”