Nigeria is home to the highest number of “very poor people” in the world, Theresa May, prime minister of the United Kingdom, has said.

Speaking in Cape Town, South Africa, on Tuesday, May said Africa is home to a majority of the world’s fragile states, and a quarter of the world’s displaced people.

“Much of Nigeria is thriving, with many individuals enjoying the fruits of a resurgent economy, yet 87 million Nigerians live below $1 and 90 cents a day, making it home to more very poor people than any other nation in the world,” the UK prime minister said.

The prime minister said she wants the UK to become the biggest G-7 investor in Africa by 2022, building around shared prosperity and shared security.

“I am unashamed about the need to ensure that our aid program works for the UK,” May said, adding that a healthy African economy is good news for the UK.

 

“Today I am committing that our development spending will not only combat extreme poverty, but at the same time tackle global challenges and support our own national interest.”

 

“It is in the world’s interest to see that those jobs are created, to tackle the causes and symptoms of extremism and instability, to deal with migration flows and to encourage clean growth,” she added.

May will be visiting Nigeria later this week.

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