Photo: REUTERS

US Vice President Kamala Harris will visit Ghana today as part of a three-country tour, which also sees her stop in Tanzania and Zambia.

She will be meeting with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and other top government officials to discuss developing bilateral relations, particularly in the security and economic spheres. They are expected to cover food security on the African continent, sustainable economic growth, and the war in Ukraine.

Vice President Harris’s trip is part of a larger US effort to reengage and build closer ties with African countries. Competitors Russia and China have invested more in the region, increasing the geopolitical influence and access to key raw materials and developing markets. Washington now sees itself as playing catchup and has sent delegations to many countries to increase trade and security partnerships to counter Moscow and Beijing.

Expect Vice President Harris to commit to increased US investment in clean tech development and digital economy to boost public and private sector development. She will also likely push back on Russian efforts to blame the war in Ukraine, which has threatened Africa with food shortages, on the US and NATO. However, she is unlikely to stress competition with China in the region, as African countries are particularly resistant to new Cold War narratives.