U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to three African nations—Ghana, Tanzania and Zambia—from March 25 to April 2, a statement announced on Monday. The trip follows a December summit in Washington, hosted by President Joe Biden, that brought together U.S. leaders and their African counterparts. That summit was the first of its kind since African leaders visited President Barack Obama in 2014; it came at a time when China and Russia have been expanding their influence on the continent and when the region has become a diplomatic battleground after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Harris’s tour is intended to “strengthen the United States’ partnerships throughout Africa and advance our shared efforts on security and economic prosperity,” according to a release from the vice‑president’s office. During her visits she will meet President Nana Akufo‑Addo of Ghana, President Samia Hassan of Tanzania and President Hakainde Hichilema of Zambia. Discussions are expected to cover democracy, economic growth, food security and the impacts of Russia’s war in Ukraine. The agenda also includes expanding access to the digital economy, supporting climate‑adaptation and resilience measures, and bolstering business ties and investment.
Accompanying Harris will be her husband, Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff, and she is slated to meet with civil‑society representatives in each country. The broader U.S. strategy toward Africa has been reinforced by President Biden’s recent calls for a permanent African seat on the United Nations Security Council, support for a permanent African Union role in the G20, and plans for a presidential visit—the first by a U.S. president since 2015—to sub‑Saharan Africa. First Lady Jill Biden echoed this commitment during her February trip to Namibia and Kenya, emphasizing the need for African nations to have a louder voice at the UN and other international bodies.
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