Blinken Pledges $45 Million More to West Africa Security, Meets with Leaders on Partnerships
• Blinken pledges $45 million security fund for Nigeria and other West African nations, bringing total funding to $300 million
• Blinken meets with Nigerian President Bola Tinubu and Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara to discuss US-African partnerships
• Trip follows December 2022 African leaders summit in Washington focused on trade, climate, infrastructure, health, and security
• Blinken praises Ivory Coast's approach to security by investing economically to combat extremism
• Blinken promises increased US military training and civil protection cooperation with Ivory Coast