President Muhammadu Buhari has reiterated Federal Government’s readiness to mobilise additional capital from development finance institutions for the upgrade of critical infrastructure in the country.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, who stated this in a statement issued Thursday, said President Buhari met with United States Treasury Secretary, Steven Mnuchin, in Riyadh on Wednesday, and had positive discussions on investments in Nigeria, under the new United States International Development Finance Corporation, USIDFC, which provides $60 billion for investments in developing nations.
He said the President at the meeting held on the margins of the Future Investment Initiative, FII, Forum, said Nigeria would leverage on the U.S facility to address current challenges confronting its power sector as well as general upgrade of infrastructure.
Shehu said the President thanked the U.S government for supporting Nigeria’s anti-terrorism efforts, adding that President Buhari and Mnuchin also discussed areas of strengthening Nigeria’s ongoing collaboration with the United States on stopping terrorist financing.
Mnuchin was accompanied by Brent Macintosh, Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs and Marshall Billingslea, Assistant Secretary for Terrorist Financing in the United States Treasury Department.
The Treasury Secretary used the occasion to introduce Macintosh who was recently promoted Under Secretary for International Affairs by President Trump after the previous Under Secretary, David Malpass, was elected President of the World Bank.
Buhari congratulated Macintosh on his elevation and requested his continued support to Nigeria, especially in accessing the $60 billion infrastructure fund under the USIDFC.
