In Ghana, Kamala Harris 'excited about the future of Africa'

Vice President Kamala Harris was greeted by schoolchildren, dancers and drummers arsenic she arrived Sunday successful Ghana for the commencement of a weeklong sojourn to Africa intended to deepen U.S. relationships amid planetary contention implicit the continent's future.

"We are looking guardant to this travel arsenic a further connection of the agelong and enduring precise important narration and relationship betwixt the radical of the United States and those who unrecorded connected this continent," Harris said.

The children cheered and waved Ghanaian and American flags arsenic she stepped disconnected her level aft an overnight flight. She smiled broadly and placed a manus connected her bosom arsenic she passed by the dancers.

"What an grant it is to beryllium present successful Ghana and connected the continent of Africa," Harris said. "I'm precise excited astir the aboriginal of Africa." She said she wanted to beforehand economical maturation and nutrient information and welcomed the accidental to "witness firsthand the bonzer innovation and creativity that is occurring connected this continent."

Ghana is 1 of the continent's astir unchangeable democracies, but Harris is arriving astatine a clip of terrible challenges for the West African nation. Its economy, among the fastest increasing successful the satellite earlier the COVID-19 pandemic, faces a indebtedness situation and soaring ostentation that is driving up the outgo of nutrient and different necessities.

A state of 34 cardinal radical that's somewhat smaller than Oregon, Ghana is besides wary of threats from instability successful the region. Burkina Faso and Mali person each endured 2 coups successful caller years, and section offshoots of al-Qaida and the Islamic State radical run successful the country known arsenic the Sahel, which is northbound of Ghana. Thousands of radical person been killed and millions much person been displaced.

The warring has created an opening for the Russian mercenary outfit known arsenic Wagner, which maintains a beingness successful Africa contempt participating successful the penetration of Ukraine arsenic well. Mali welcomed Wagner aft it pushed retired French troops that were based there, and determination are fears that Burkina Faso volition bash the same.

The economical and information challenges volition apt beryllium discussed connected Monday erstwhile Harris meets with Ghana's president, Nana Akufo-Addo. They besides are expected to clasp a associated quality conference.

The 2 leaders person met doubly before, some times successful Washington.

During their archetypal meeting, successful September 2021, Akufo-Addo said "our large situation — and it is simply a situation of each those who privation to make antiauthoritarian institutions connected our continent — is to guarantee and reassure our radical that antiauthoritarian institutions tin beryllium a conveyance for the solution of their large occupation — that is economical improvement arsenic the means to eradicate poorness connected the continent."

Harris is the highest-profile subordinate of President Joe Biden's medication to sojourn Africa this year. After Ghana, she plans to sojourn Tanzania and Zambia. She returns to Washington connected April 2.

The expanded outreach is intended to antagonistic China's influence, which has go entrenched successful caller years done infrastructure initiatives, lending wealth and expanding telecommunications networks. Ghana, for example, reached a $2 cardinal woody with a Chinese institution to make roads and different projects successful instrumentality for entree to a cardinal mineral for producing aluminum.

Most of Harris' events successful Ghana volition absorption connected young people. Africa's colonisation has a median property of 19.

On Monday, she plans to sojourn a skate parkland and co-working abstraction that has a signaling workplace for section artists. Her husband, Doug Emhoff, who is accompanying her connected the trip, volition clasp a municipality hallway gathering with actors from a section tv amusement and be a girls hoops clinic.

In the evening, they volition be a authorities banquet with the Ghanaian president and archetypal lady.

On Tuesday, Harris volition springiness a code and sojourn Cape Coast Castle, wherever enslaved Africans were erstwhile loaded connected ships bound for the Americas.

Before leaving for Tanzania connected Wednesday, Harris volition conscionable with women entrepreneurs and Emhoff volition circuit a cocoa institution that was founded by 2 sisters. The sanction of the company, '57 Chocolate, is simply a notation to erstwhile Ghana became independent.

Cameron Hudson, an Africa adept astatine the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Ghana has been "a agleam spot successful the region" but "it's facing immoderate precise stiff headwinds."

He noted that the country's south, wherever the superior of Accra is located, is chiefly Christian, portion the bluish country is mostly Muslim, and determination are fears that militants could grow their operations there.

"These violent groups are capable to prey connected existing responsibility lines wrong these societies," helium said.

Hudson said Ghanaian authorities person intercepted weapons shipments and quality smugglers. Sometimes determination are bursts of violence, and the fig of incidents spiked past year.