WINDHOEK, Namibia (AP) — Dancers, drummers and Namibia’s president and first lady welcomed U.S. first lady Jill Biden on Wednesday as she opened a five-day, two-country visit to Africa aimed at highlighting the challenges facing women and young people and the food insecurity plaguing the Horn of Africa.
After flying all night, the first lady was feted at the airport by members of some of Namibia’s ethnic groups — clad in red, white and blue, or bright pink — who greeted her with singing, dancing, drumming and ululating. The last high-level U.S. official to visit was Vice President Al Gore in 1996, the White House said.
The first lady’s trip is part of a commitment by President Joe Biden to deepen U.S. engagement with the fast-growing region. The United States has fallen well behind China in investment in sub-Saharan Africa, which has become a key battleground in an increasingly fraught competition between the major powers.
Jill Biden and Monica Geingos, Namibia’s first lady, embraced on the tarmac before Biden greeted U.S and Namibian diplomatic and government officials. The two first met in December, when dozens of African leaders flew to Washington for a summit hosted by President Biden.
After leaving the airport, Jill Biden was driven 45 minutes south of Windhoek, the capital, to lay a wreath at Heroes’ Acre, Namibia’s official war memorial. She later met with President Hage Geingob and his wife at the State House, where her arrival was heralded with more singing and dancing.
It’s Jill Biden’s sixth time in Africa, but her first trip as first lady. She is following in the footsteps of her recent predecessors, who all made the trip across the Atlantic Ocean in the name of trying to help foster goodwill toward the United States.
“We have a lot to accomplish,” she said Tuesday before departing Washington.
Africa is the fastest-growing and youngest region in…
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