Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman will travel to South Africa, Angola, Gabon, and France from May 2 to 7. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Molly Phee and National Security Council Senior Director for Africa Dana Banks will join the Deputy Secretary’s delegation.
In South Africa, Deputy Secretary Sherman will travel to Cape Town, Johannesburg, and Pretoria from May 2 to 4 and meet with Deputy Foreign Minister Alvin Botes and other senior government officials to discuss furthering U.S.-South African cooperation on a range of issues, including global and regional peace and security, trade and investment, sustainable infrastructure, health security, and the climate crisis. She will meet with business leaders and entrepreneurs to discuss strengthening the important trade and investment relationship between the U.S. and South Africa. The Deputy Secretary will also present the International Women of Courage Award during a discussion with women leaders promoting human rights for marginalized communities.
Deputy Secretary Sherman will then travel to Luanda, Angola from May 4 to 5 to meet with President João Lourenço, Foreign Minister Tete Antonio, and other senior Angolan officials to discuss our shared interests, including regional security and defense cooperation, economic prosperity, good governance, support for Angola’s COVID-19 vaccination effort, and cooperation on shared maritime law enforcement as well as economic, and climate-related challenges in the Atlantic Basin. She will also hold discussions with business leaders, and Mandela Washington Fellowship alumni who are working to promote women’s entrepreneurship and youth engagement.
From May 5 to 6, the Deputy Secretary will travel to Libreville, Gabon, where she will meet with President Ali Bongo Ondimba, Foreign Minister Michael Moussa-Adamo, and Minister of Defense Félicité Ongouori Ngoubili to engage on our shared priorities including promoting environmental protection, addressing the climate crisis, and furthering security cooperation. The Deputy Secretary will also visit Raponda Walker Arboretum to learn about Gabon’s work in forest conservation leadership to combat the climate crisis.
Finally, on May 7, the Deputy Secretary will meet in Paris, France, with French MFA Secretary General Francois Delattre, German MFA State Secretary Andreas Michaelis, Italian MFA Secretary General Ettore Sequi, and UK Minister of State for Europe and North America James Cleverly to discuss our ongoing, close coordination to respond to Putin’s brutal, unprovoked war against Ukraine.
Source: US State Department