WASHINGTON, US
United States Vice President,
Kamala Harris, will travel to three African countries this month, a statement
said Monday, as Washington looks to strengthen diplomatic ties on the
continent.United States Vice President Kamala D. Harris hosts President Samia Suluhu Hassan of Tanzania at the White House on Friday, April 15, 2022 (Courtesy)
The trip to Ghana, Tanzania
and Zambia from March 25 to April 2 comes after a December summit hosted by
President Joe Biden in Washington with US leaders and counterparts from Africa,
a continent where China and Russia have enjoyed rising clout.
Harris's tour aims to
"strengthen the United States' partnerships throughout Africa and advance
our shared efforts on security and economic prosperity," a statement from
the vice president's office said.
She is due to meet with
President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana, President Samia Hassan of Tanzania and
President Hakainde Hichilema of Zambia with topics including democracy,
economic growth, food security and impacts of Russia's war in Ukraine on the
agenda.
"The Vice President will
advance efforts to expand access to the digital economy, support climate
adaptation and resilience, and strengthen business ties and investment,"
the statement added.
Harris will be accompanied by
her husband, Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff, and is also due to meet with
civil society representatives.
The December summit was the
first of its kind since African leaders came in 2014 to see Barack Obama, whose
successor Donald Trump made no secret of his lack of interest in Africa, which
has become more heated as a diplomatic battleground following Russia's invasion
of Ukraine last year.
In September, Biden called for
an African permanent seat on the UN Security Council, backed a permanent
African Union role in the Group of 20 economies and said he was planning a
visit -- the first by a US president since 2015 -- to sub-Saharan Africa.
His wife, Jill Biden,
reiterated the commitment to helping African nations get a louder voice at the
UN and other international bodies on a trip to Namibia and Kenya in February.
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