Blinken begins Africa tour in Cape Verde, touting the U.S. as a key security and economic partner
ABUJA, Nigeria — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken began a tour of four African countries on Monday, meeting the leaders of Cape Verde and Ivory Coast and praising America as the continent’s top economic and security ally in times of regional and international crises.
Blinken will next visit Nigeria and Angola. The tour – which comes as deadly crises and rampant coups threaten the continent’s stability – focuses on promoting trade, security and democracy.
In Cape Verde’s capital Praia, he met with Prime Minister Ulisses Correia e Silva and said the US is committed to deepening, strengthening and broadening its partnerships with Africa, whose young population of 1.3 billion is expected to grow by By 2050, the world’s population will double and a quarter.
Analysts say Africa appears to be on the back burner under President Joe Biden as his administration becomes increasingly consumed by other international issues, such as the fighting in Ukraine, the war between Israel and Hamas, and the rivalry with China. Biden also failed to visit Africa last year as he had promised.
“As President Biden has said, when it comes to Africa, we are all in it,” Blinken told the Cape Verdean leader. “We see Africa as an essential, crucial and central part of our future. This trip… really focuses on President Biden’s commitment and belief that the United States and Africa work together in a partnership for the future,” he added.
Silva described Cape Verde as “a long-standing and consistent partner” of the US and said such a visit “demonstrates the Biden administration’s genuine interest in win-win partnerships with Africa.”
“We want to strengthen our partnership with the US on maritime security and cybersecurity from a regional, global perspective,” Silva said.
Also Monday, Blinken flew to Ivory Coast, where he met with President Alassane Ouattara and senior government officials. They discussed “common priorities of strengthening democracy, expanding trade, and improving local and regional security,” the US State Department said in a statement.
He will attend a football match later on Monday between Equatorial Guinea and Ivory Coast, part of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations tournament.