U.S.–Africa Leaders Summit Presents Opportunity for Partnership Between U.S. and Niger | Opinion

As we look around the world today, we see a myriad of foreign policy challenges facing the United States and its allies around the world. While it is easy to focus on the crisis of the moment, it is incumbent on policymakers to think long-term and strategically—which is why it is critical to continue strengthening the relationship between the U.S. and my country, Niger.

This week, I will be in Washington along with 30 other African leaders to attend the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit. I am grateful to President Joe Biden for the invitation, and I look forward to a robust agenda focused on strengthening the alliance between our two countries, and between the United States and the African continent.

Niger gained independence from France in 1960 and is primarily a rural and agrarian-based country in the Sahel region of West Africa, with the Sahara to the north and the Sudanian savanna to the south. Because of this geography, climate change has caused devastating consequences to the way of life of our people.

This is why Niger is especially thankful for the support provided by the U.S. government through USAID, which helps provide food and shelter for thousands of climate refugees, as well as people displaced by regional terrorist activity. We are also eligible to receive funding from the U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation, which will help fund our agricultural sector.

Niger is a nascent democracy in a dangerous part of the world, but we remain true to the U.S. and the democratic values it espouses. While it may not seem obvious, we have much to contribute to the bilateral relationship between Niger and the United States, one that my administration hopes to continue and deepen at this week's conference.

First and foremost, we are a reliable and stable American ally in a region where anti-American sentiments are being increasingly propagated, including on social media. While other powers continue to spend millions of dollars in Africa to spread their values and influence, Niger is committed to standing with our American partners.

In the realm of counterterrorism, we work hand-in-glove with our allies to find, neutralize, and destroy terrorist organizations in our country. U.S. support allows Niger to be on the front lines against terrorist groups such as Boko Haram, Nusrat al-Islam, which is an offshoot of Al Qaeda, as well as the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara, a local branch of ISIS whose child soldiers turn to Niger for rehabilitation and safety.

Further, we share vital intelligence about potential attacks because we know that if these groups are allowed to flourish, they will export their terror from Africa to Western nations around the globe. While the U.S. may be less focused these days on fighting radical Islamic terror—Niger cannot afford to be complacent.

In the current context of Africa, where democratic values are challenged and military coups persist, Niger strives to be an African "City on a Hill." Our country is not only showing resilience by withstanding external pressures, we are determined to be a model for the promotion of democracy, the rule of law, and good governance.

My election as head of state in March 2021 marked a symbolic moment for Niger. Not only was it the first peaceful transfer of power in our country's history, but it was also the first time Niger elected a president from a minority community. We are, therefore, a solid state resolutely committed to promoting economic progress and social prosperity for all its citizens.

For all these reasons, we remain committed to a strong relationship between the United States and Niger, and I strongly believe that both of our nations will benefit from continued efforts to further strengthen these ties.

Yes, the United States has a lot to offer to Niger, but we also have a lot to give in return. I am convinced that this U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit will be the next chapter of deepening the growing and essential bond between our two countries.

Mohamed Bazoum is president of the Republic of the Niger.

The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.