Obama to take first Africa trip next month

Washington, May 21 –  President Barack Obama will leave on a first African tour next month, visiting Senegal, Tanzania and South Africa, but his itinerary released on Monday bypasses Kenya, an ancestral homeland.

 

Obama disappointed many Africans by spending only a few hours in sub-Saharan Africa -in Ghana during his first term, but is keen to implement a sweeping new regional strategy, prioritizing democracy and economic reform.

 

Speculation will center on whether America's first black president will see ailing 94-year-old South African anti-Apartheid icon Nelson Mandela, on a trip on which he will be accompanied by First Lady Michelle Obama.

 

The White House said the long-awaited visit was intended to underscore Obama's "commitment to broadening and deepening cooperation between the United States and the people of sub-Saharan Africa" to advance peace and prosperity.

 

Obama will meet officials, businessmen, and civil society leaders, including young people, on the trip between June 26 and July 3 an unusually long journey for a president who normally dashes across timezones on trips abroad. Source : AFP