Nigeria, Nov. 9 -- Nigeria's ambition to expand non-oil exports and attract investment provides a practical test of Washington's effort to connect commercial engagement, diplomacy and security across Africa.

Following the Africa Strategic Dialogue at the National Defense University in Washington on 29 October, senior US officials explained how their institutions were approaching those connections. US Africa Command commander, Dagvin Anderson, identified Nigeria among the countries where he had encountered interest in constructive American economic engagement.

US Department of State's Bureau of African Affairs Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Frank Garcia Jr. framed the approach as an economic partnership, with benefits r...