August 21, 2000: President Clinton to Visit Nigeria and Tanzania August 25-28, 2000

President Clinton will travel to Nigeria at the invitation of President Obasanjo from August 25-27, 2000. President Clinton will underscore U.S. support for Nigeria's impressive democratic transformation under President Obasanjo's government and for Nigeria's leadership role in the region. The two Presidents will discuss the growing relationship between the United States and Nigeria, building on the dialogue they launched during President Obasanjo's October 1999 visit to the United States.

President Clinton's visit to Nigeria will be limited to Abuja, Nigeria's capital city. Representatives from the American private sector will be a part of the President's official on-ground delegation. These representatives will take part in discussions on Nigeria's economic and commercial development. The Corporate Council on Africa has been asked to take an active role in this component of the President's visit.

At the personal invitation of former South Africa President Nelson Mandela, President Clinton will also travel to Arusha, Tanzania, on August 28 to witness a signing ceremony among 18 parties for a peace accord in Burundi. Mandela serves as the regional facilitator of the Burundi negotiations, the Arusha peace process. He assumed this role last December following the October 1999 death of the previous facilitator, former Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere.