US. First Lady Jill Biden To Make Maiden Visit To Africa

By Samuel Ouma [caption id="attachment_104616" align="alignnone" width="1000"] Dr Jill Biden's visit to Africa comes just two months after President Joe Biden hosted the US-African Leaders Summit in Washington.[/caption] US First Lady Jill Biden will visit Kenya and Namibia this week, marking her first trip to the continent since taking the helm of the White House. The White House said the trip begins on Wednesday and will wrap on Sunday. Jill will focus on children, women's empowerment, and the continent's widespread food shortages. In addition to focusing on women and children, the first lady will bring attention to the severe food insecurity that has returned to East Africa. “In Kenya, Dr. Biden will very specifically draw attention to the food security crisis impacting the Horn of Africa, which is noted as the worst drought that this region has experienced in decades,” NSC spokesperson Becky Farmer was quoted by the VOA. She will be the first senior official to visit Sub-Saharan Africa since the Biden administration began. Jill Biden is also the first lady of the United States to visit Namibia since the country's independence in 1990. Her visit to Africa comes just two months after President Joe Biden hosted the US-African Leaders Summit in Washington. During the meeting, President Biden assured African leaders that they will see many top government officials "because we're deadly serious about this undertaking." He promised increased investments in Africa aimed at improving commerce and infrastructure and a push for the African Union to be recognized as a permanent member of the Group of 20 nations that head the world's major economies. Jill's visit comes before her husband, President Joe Biden, and other senior administration officials are scheduled to visit later this year.