VP Harris arrives in Ghana, first stop on Africa tour
Accra, Mar 26 (EFE).- Vice President Kamala Harris on Sunday began her first African tour in Ghana, a trip that will also take her to Tanzania and Zambia and on which she is seeking to strenthen Washington’s links with the continent.
“I’m very excited about the future of Africa,” said Harris at Kotoka International Airport in Accra, where she and her husband, Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff, were welcomed by Ghanaian Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia.
In a brief speech upon her arrival, Harris also emphasized the interest of the Joe Biden administration in increasing US investment in Africa, noting the “great potential” of the continent, where the average age of the population is 19.
The US VP also said that she welcomed the chance to “witness firsthand the extraordinary innovation and creativity that is occurring on this continent.”
In 2050, one in every four people in the world will live in Africa, Harris said, adding that she sees great potential in this fact both for Africa and for the world.
In addition, she stressed the US interest in working with African nations to deal with the effects of climate change and improve food security on the continent, empower women and young people and provide Internet access to greater numbers of citizens.
Harris and her husband are scheduled to meet with Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo and his wife Rebecca on Monday afternoon.
Before that, the Second Couple with meet with the actors of popular Danish television series “You Only Live Once (YOLO),” participate in a discussion about women’s empowerment and take a tour of a training center for young basketball players supported by the National Basketball Association.
Harris will be in Ghana until Wednesday, when she and her entourage will travel to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s largest city and economic capital.
The US VP’s trip to Africa comes after the visit by Secretary of State Antony Blinken in mid-March to Ethiopia and Niger, and that of First Lady Jill Biden to Namibia and Kenya in February.
Biden announced more than $15 billion in financial commitments, agreements, trade deals and bilateral investments during the 2022 US-African Leaders Summit in Washington last December. EFE
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