Washington –
Jill Biden headed to Africa on Tuesday, first visiting Namibia, and as she departed Washington, she announced “Achievement” during a five-day visit focused on empowering women and youth and addressing food insecurity. I have a lot to do,” he declared.
The First Lady’s visits to Namibia and Kenya are part of the US push to increase engagement with Africa as a counterweight to China’s influence on the continent.
Mr. Biden, who teaches English and writing at a community college, said he rushed home from class because he only had an hour left before he left for his trip. She left the day before her husband returned from an impromptu trip to Ukraine and a planned visit to Poland.
“This whole trip has been exciting and I have a lot to accomplish,” she said.
Granddaughter Naomi Biden accompanies the first lady on her travels.
President Joe Biden told African leaders who came to Washington for a summit last year that the United States is “all in” on the future of the continent, telling him, his wife, the vice president, and his Several members of the Cabinet have announced they will travel to Africa this year.
Jill Biden will be the third senior U.S. government official to visit Africa this year, following Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and United Nations Ambassador Linda Thomas Greenfield.
The First Lady will highlight issues related to women, youth and food insecurity in Kenya and the Horn of Africa caused by severe drought and other factors. She will also focus on deepening US ties with her two countries that host her.
According to the White House, she will be the first U.S. official to visit Namibia since Vice President Al Gore briefly visited the country in 1996.
Through new engagements with African countries, the United States aims to catch up with economic rival China. China is the second most populous country among her 54 countries on the African continent, surpassing the United States in terms of trade.
Trade between the United States and sub-Saharan Africa in 2021 will total US$44.9 billion, up 22% from 2019. However, direct investment fell by 5.3% to his US$30.3 billion. Trade between Africa and China soared to her US$254 billion in 2021, up nearly 35%, as China’s exports to the African continent increased.
Jill Biden is no stranger to Africa. This will be her sixth visit to the African continent, her third to Kenya and her first to Namibia.
It will be his fourth solo overseas trip in two years since he took office as president.
She traveled to Tokyo in 2021 to cheer on Team USA at the postponed Olympics.
Last Mother’s Day, I traveled to Romania and Slovakia to meet a Ukrainian woman who fled with her children after the Russian military invasion. The trip involved a covert drive across the Slovak border a short distance into western Ukraine, where she spent a few hours with Olena Zarenska, wife of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. I met.
Jill Biden also traveled solo to Costa Rica, Ecuador and Panama in 2022.
She accompanied her husband on trips to Europe and Mexico, where he attended summits with other world leaders.
At the US-Africa Summit in December, the first lady hosted a two-day event for spouses, including her counterparts from Kenya and Namibia.
The White House has not announced his travel dates, but President Biden plans to visit Africa later this year. He was in Poland on Tuesday after making a surprise visit to Ukraine to meet with Zelensky on Monday.
