Ivanka promotes US jobs plan for women in Africa

ADDIS ABABA: Ivanka Trump began a four- day tour of Africa on Sunday to promote a US$ 50 million United States initiative aimed at encouraging women’s employment in developing countries.

“Fundamentally we believe that investing in women is a smart development policy and it is a smart business,” White House adviser Trump said after drinking coffee and inhaling incense at a traditional Ethiopian ceremony in Addis Ababa.

The Women’s Global Development and Prosperity ( W- GDP) initiative aims to economically empower 50 million women by 2025. President Donald Trump, Ivanka’s father, has directed USAID to allocate an initial US$ 50 million to the fund.

Ivanka Trump is due to take part in a World Bank policy summit and then visit Ivory Coast to promote female entrepreneurs in the country’s cocoa industry. — Reuters

Ivanka Trump (second left) attends a meeting with women from the coffee industry during her visit to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. — Reuters photo