First Lady Jill Biden will visit Namibia and Kenya, her office announced on February 21.
February 22-February The First Lady’s Office said in a statement that it aims to “strengthen U.S. partnership on the African continent and advance shared priorities in the region.”
Biden will first stop in Namibia, where “her efforts are really focused on the role of young people in shaping democracy and continuing to advance health cooperation,” a senior government official said on the Feb. 21 trip. told reporters on the phone to preview the
“Namibia is one of the continent’s longest-running democracies and one of eight countries classified as free according to Freedom House,” a senior government official said.
The last top US official to visit Namibia was Vice President Al Gore in 1996.
As for Kenya, the senior government official said the United States was working with the country “on peace and security challenges in Somalia, Ethiopia, eastern Congo, and on global issues.”
Officials said Kenya “is an attractive destination for U.S. investment in countries with which we are expanding trade ties through strategic trade and investment partnerships.”
The official added that Kenya “is dealing with a devastating challenge of food insecurity as a result of no rain in the Horn of Africa and exacerbated by Russia’s war with Ukraine.”
The last top U.S. official to visit Kenya was then-President Barack Obama in 2015, making him the first U.S. president to do so.
“Our engagement will focus on empowering women and youth, tackling food insecurity, and sharing democratic values,” Biden said in a statement announcing the trip.
The visit comes a few months after the US-Africa Summit, which gathered about 50 African leaders in Washington between December 13th and 13th. 15.
“The purpose of her visit is to reaffirm the U.S. government’s investment in Africa, which is not only an investment in government, but in people, and to continue her work in empowering women and youth. ‘, a senior government official told reporters.
Officials say the trip will be a “presidential demonstration” [Joe] Biden’s commitment that the United States will fully participate in Africa and participate fully in Africa. “
The first lady is scheduled to meet with husband and wife Monica Gingos and Rachel Ruto in Namibia and Kenya.
Biden has visited Africa five times as a second lady from 2009 to 2017, and this will be her sixth visit.