On day two of Vice President Harris’ weeklong tour of three African nations, she predicted a grand future between the U.S. and Africa propelled by innovation on the continent.
In a tweet from Ghana on Tuesday Harris noted, “By 2050, 1 in 4 people in the world will be on the African continent. By investing in their ingenuity and creativity, we can unlock incredible opportunity for the entire world.”
Standing before a monument in Accra that commemorates Ghana’s independence from colonialism, Harris told a crowd, “We have an intertwined history, some of which is painful and some of which is prideful.”
The monument, called Black Stone Gate, is inscribed with the words, “Freedom and Justice” along with the year 1957, which is when the country became independent.
The Vice President arrived in Ghana on Sunday and will continue her visit there through Wednesday. Then she visits Tanzania Wednesday through Friday. Her final stop will be in Zambia on Friday and Saturday. The Vice President has a personal connection to Zambia as she visited her grandfather who was working there when she was a young girl.
Ghana had been one of the world’s fast-growing economies before the Covid pandemic. However, the price of food and other necessities has been skyrocketing, and the country is facing a debt crisis as it struggles to make payments.
On Monday at the residence of President Nana Akufo-Addo, called the Jubilee House, Harris promised $100 million in U.S. aid to the region for security assistance and increased investments.
The Vice President’s visit is part of a concerted effort to broaden U.S. outreach at a time when China and Russia have entrenched interests of their own in Africa. Harris’ travel to the continent comes one month after First Lady Jill Biden visited the African nations of Namibia and Kenya.
In December, President Biden wrapped the U.S.-Africa Summit at the White House by announcing to the leaders of 49 African nations that he intends to visit the continent sometime in the future, though he was not specific about which nations he would visit, or when he would make the trip.
