- Title: Kamala Harris exhorts Africans to innovate, empower women in Ghana speech
- Date: 28th March 2023
- Summary: ACCRA, GHANA (MARCH 28, 2023) (REUTERS) U.S. VICE PRESIDENT, KAMALA HARRIS, WALKING TO THE PODIUM ON STAGE AND WAVING AT THE CROWD
- Embargoed: 11th April 2023 15:25
- Keywords: Accra Africa Black Star Gate Ghana United States diplomacy empowerment innovation women
- Location: ACCRA, GHANA
- City: ACCRA, GHANA
- Country: Ghana
- Topics: Africa,Diplomacy/Foreign Policy,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA001090128032023RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris challenged Africans to step up innovation and the empowerment of women in order to play their full part in the future of the world, as she delivered a speech to thousands of young Ghanaians on Tuesday (March 28) in Accra.
Standing in front of Black Star Gate, a monument built on the site where Ghana declared independence from Britain in 1957, Harris underlined deep gender disparities in Africa.
"On the continent of Africa, we know women grow a majority of the food, yet they are less likely to own the land they farm. They represent a majority of frontline healthcare workers, but face disparities in health outcomes."
To cheers, she said innovation and the empowerment of women would be key to Africa's future success.
"Let us take a moment to imagine the future, a future where women are not just included but also lead, imagine a future where every person is connected to the digital economy, a future where every young person trusts that their voices are heard, a future that is propelled by African innovation."
Harris added the United States would work with Africa to strengthen partnerships "based on openness, inclusiveness, candour, shared interest, and mutual benefits."
She also acknowledged the importance of remembering the two continents' "intertwined history, some of which is painful and some of which is prideful," and added that Africa has a "special significance" for her personally, as the first Black Vice-President of the United States.
Her visit to Ghana, the first stop on an African tour that will also take her to Tanzania and Zambia, is part of a charm offensive by Washington as it seeks to counter-balance the growing influence of China and Russia on the continent.
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