08:18 20/06/2015
Washington - US President Barack Obama will in late July become
the first sitting American leader to visit Ethiopia and the headquarters
of the African Union, the White House said on Friday.
Obama's
trip to Addis Ababa will come directly after an already announced trip
to Kenya, his first as president to his father's homeland, press
secretary Josh Earnest announced.
Obama will meet with both the
Ethiopian government and AU leaders, for talks on how to "accelerate
economic growth, strengthen democratic institutions, and improve
security".
The
election of the US's first black president - and the first with an
African parent - had raised hopes on the continent of closer ties, but
Obama has been a cautious friend.
In August last year, the White
House hosted a huge Washington summit of African leaders and the
upcoming July trip is intended to build on progress towards closer
economic ties.
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