US Vice President Kamala Harris arrived in Ghana on Sunday, March 26, the first leg of her three-country tour of Africa aimed at strengthening Washington’s diplomatic ties with the continent.
His tour of Ghana, Tanzania and Zambia, scheduled until April 2, comes after a United States-Africa Summit in December 2022 in Washington, during which President Joe Biden advocated for a broad partnership with the Africa, at a time when the United States is seeking to assert its presence on the continent in the face of the growing influence of China and Russia.
Accompanied by her husband Douglas Emhoff, Kamala Harris was greeted at Accra airport by Ghana’s Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia and senior officials. Traditional dances to the sound of drums and students waving small flags of Ghana awaited him when he got off the plane.
“We look forward to making this trip another affirmation of the enduring and very important relationship and friendship between the people of the United States and those who live on the African continent,” said Kamala Harris upon her arrival. I am very excited about the future of Africa. I am very excited about the impact of the future of Africa on the rest of the world, including the United States. »
Economic crisis
She is expected to address during her visit the climate crisis, improving food security and increasing investment in the continent, she said.
The US vice president is expected to meet entrepreneurs, students, women and farmers. She must also visit a former hub of the slave trade, the fort of Cape Coast (south).
She will also meet with President Nana Akufo-Addo and meet representatives of civil society. She is due to leave Ghana on Wednesday for Tanzania.
Ghana is facing an economic crisis with inflation over 50% and a decline in the local currency, the cedi, hit by the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine.
Ghana has struck a $3 billion (€2.78 billion) credit deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and is also in talks with China over its economic troubles.