US First Lady embarks on Africa trip: youth, empowering women, food crises on agenda

Jill Biden has started her trip to Africa as first lady, when she arrived in Namibia this Wednesday Feb.22, before later heading to Kenya.

During her visit in the Southwest African nation of Namibia and the East African nation of Kenya, Biden will focus on women’s empowerment, children’s issues and the food insecurity that has ravaged parts of the continent. “Dr. Biden’s trip builds on last year’s US-Africa Leaders Summit and as another demonstration of President Biden’s commitment that the United States is all-in on Africa and all-in with Africa,” Judd Devermont, senior director for African Affairs at the National Security Council said.

Jill Biden has become the first US First Lady to visit Namibia since the country gained independence in 1990.

In addition to focusing on women and children, the First Lady will draw attention to the dire food insecurity that is again gnawing at East Africa as she visits Kenya.

President Biden highlighted the situation in December when he announced a large humanitarian aid package at a summit that brought African leaders to Washington. And he discussed it again Tuesday as he highlighted the effects of Russia’s war in Ukraine on global food supplies. Jill Biden visited Africa five times as second lady, highlighting the plight of the powerless, including during a visit to the continent’s largest refugee camp at Dadaab in Kenya in 2011.