Antony Blinken is the first US secretary of state to visit the West African country. 

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has visited Niger, describing it as a model of resilience and democracy.

What was the purpose of his trip?

And what does it mean for the nation and Sahel region, where Russia and China have become more active?

Presenter: Sami Zeidan

Guests:

Mamane Sani – journalist and analyst in Niamey

Daniel Eizenga – research fellow at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies at the National Defense University in Washington, DC

Kabir Adamu – managing director at Beacon Consulting, an enterprise security risk management and intelligence solutions provider in Nigeria and the Sahel region