Kamala Harris waves as she arrives at an event in Accra, Ghana
By Cooper Envin
ACCRA (Reuters) – US Vice President Kamala Harris called on Africans to step up innovation and empower women to play their full part in the future of the planet during a speech to thousands of young Ghanaians on Tuesday at an exhibition in Accra.
The visit to Ghana, the first stop on a trip through Africa that will also take her to Tanzania and Zambia, is part of Washington’s rapprochement strategy to counterbalance the growing influence of China and Russia on the continent.
In front of the Black Star Gate, a memorial built on the site where Ghana declared its independence from Britain in 1957, Harris began by noting that by mid-century, one in four people in the world will be African.
“Of course, this means that what happens on this continent affects the entire world,” she said.
Citing examples such as pioneering mobile payments in Kenya or health drone deliveries in Rwanda before such services existed in the United States, Harris said innovation will be key to Africa’s future success.
“We must invest in African ingenuity and ingenuity that will open amazing opportunities and economic growth, not only for the people of the 54 nations that make up this diverse continent, but for the American people and people around the world,” she said.
On the topic of women’s empowerment, Harris highlighted deep gender disparities in Africa, saying the United States will work alongside African partners to close these gaps.
To applause, she said that women’s economic empowerment will benefit not only themselves, but also their children, families, communities, and the entire economy.
The other two areas where Harris said the United States will work with African partners to drive progress are digital inclusion and good governance and democracy.
(Reporting by Estelle Charbon)
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