ABUJA, Nigeria (NEWSnet/AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken began a tour Monday of four African countries.
He has meetings planned with leaders of Cape Verde and Ivory Coast and is touting United States as the continent's key economic and security ally. The tour focuses on trade, security, and democracy promotion.
In Praia, Cape Verde's capital, he met with Prime Minister Ulisses Correia e Silva and said the U.S. is committed “to deepening, strengthening, broadening” its partnerships with Africa whose young population of 1.3 billion is set to double by 2050 and make up a quarter of the world's inhabitants.
Also on Monday, Blinken flew to Ivory Coast, where he met President Alassane Ouattara and senior government officials. They discussed “shared priorities of strengthening democracy, expanding trade and improving local and regional security,” U.S. State Department said.
Blinken plans to visit Angola and Nigeria next.
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