When Jill Biden arrives in Namibia and Kenya, it will be her sixth official solo visit to the continent as a principal of a presidential administration, this being her first as first lady following five visits during the Obama administration.
“This whole trip will be exciting, and we have a lot to accomplish,” Biden said to reporters moments before departing. The long-hoped-for visit comes as President Biden closes out a high-stakes trip to Ukraine and Poland to mark the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion, and the two trips have intertwined goals. In this case, the first lady’s travel is part of an aggressive show of U.S. support for African nations, as China’s influence over the continent grows and at a time when U.S.
The first lady’s trip also comes just months after the president welcomed to Washington leaders from 49 African countries and pledged that “the United States is all in on Africa’s future.” During that three-day summit in December the president announced that he would be going to Africa this summer, and that seven other top members of the administration, including Jill Biden and Vice President Harris, would be making trips this year to show their commitment to partnering with Africa.
According to the White House, Biden’s visit will focus on empowerment of women and youth, and promoting “our shared values in the area of democracy, health cooperation and economic prosperity.” Specifically, she’ll be meeting with the first ladies of both countries, with whom she developed relationships at the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit.
In Kenya, which she’s visiting for the third time, a centerpiece of her trip will be highlighting food insecurity in the Horn of Africa, which is experiencing its worst drought in decades — and how the crisis has been worsened by a slowing flow of humanitarian dollars, and by China’s rhetorical and political support of Russia in Ukraine.
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