Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday said the United States was pushing for permanent representation of Africa in the UN Security Council and other international organisations.
"The United States is committed to strengthening genuine partnerships on the continent, to work to solve shared challenges, and also to deliver on the promise and the fundamental aspirations of our peoples," he said.
Africa has long advocated for two permanent seats on the Council with veto power, arguing that the current structure is outdated and unrepresentative of the world's geopolitical reality.
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres earlier this week said all five permanent members of the council agreed Africa must have representation in the council.
'One African member'
"I've seen the permanent members being favourable to at least one African permanent member, the United States said so. The Russian Federation said so. China has been positive in this regard, the UK and France too," Guterres told a summit of a group of developing countries held in Uganda's capital, Kampala.
Blinken, on a visit to Nigeria, pitched the United States as a better security partner for Africa in place of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group.
He said the United States is determined to remain a strong security partner for Nigeria, whose military is backed by the US and Britain in a war against insurgents.
Earlier in the day in Abidjan,Blinken said the United States would provide an additional $45 million to West African nations as part of a plan to battle instability.
Africa's ally
Nigeria is Blinken's third stop on his tour of African nations, following Cape Verde and Côte d'Ivoire. He will travel from Nigeria to Angola.
The trip is part of President Joe Biden's attempt to tout America as the continent's key economic and security ally at times of regional and international crises.
Despite Biden's vows to show commitment to Africa, he failed to live up to a promise to visit last year.
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