Jill Biden embarks on Africa trip to Namibia and Kenya
When Jill Biden touches down Wednesday on a fiveday trip to Namibia and Kenya, it will be on her remarkable sixth official solo visit to the continent as a principal of a presidential administration, this being her first as first lady following five visits as second lady 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 longhoped-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. intelligence suggests China is considering providing arms to Russia, a development that Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said would be a “serious problem.”
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. The first lady’s trip is the first by a senior White House principal to fulfill that promise.
“On a broad policy level, it’s been a long-standing issue that the West’s influence on the African continent has been eroding as China has been increasing their engagement there,” said Matt Carotenuto, a professor of African history at St. Lawrence University. “If you look at Kenya, they’ve gotten huge loans from China to fund infrastructure over the last 15 to 20 years. Kenya’s been a great strategic ally and supporter of the U.S., but this is an area where the administration does need to double down if they want to maintain that influence as money has flowed from other areas.”
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. Gender-based violence as well as HIV support will be themes of events she’ll engage in, with larger discussions on reproductive health particularly crucial as PEPFAR - the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, started during the George W. Bush administration - is up for reauthorization this summer. In Namibia, which she is visiting for the first time, Biden will be making a speech to college-age students to highlight the role of youths in democracy, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, where 70 percent of the population is under 30.