Skip to content Skip to search

Republish This Story

* Please read before republishing *

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free under an Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives Creative Commons license as long as you follow our republishing guidelines, which require that you credit The 19th and retain our pixel. See our full guidelines for more information.

To republish, simply copy the HTML at right, which includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to The 19th. Have questions? Please email partnerships@19thnews.org.

— The Editors

Loading...

Modal Gallery

/
Let’s talk menopause

Menu

Topics

  • Abortion
  • Politics
  • Education
  • LGBTQ+
  • Caregiving
  • Environment & Climate
  • Business & Economy
View all topics

Menopause, without the noise

Let’s talk about it, in your inbox every Tuesday.

[altcha]

You have been subscribed!

Submitting...

Uh-oh! Something went wrong. Please email community@19thnews.org to subscribe.

This email address might not be capable of receiving emails (according to Bouncer). You should try again with a different email address. If you have any questions, contact us at community@19thnews.org.

  • Latest Stories
  • Our Mission
  • Our Team
  • Strategic Plan
  • Ways to Give
  • Search
  • Contact
Donate
Home

We’re an independent, nonprofit newsroom reporting on gender, politics, policy and power. Read our story.

Topics

  • Abortion
  • Politics
  • Education
  • LGBTQ+
  • Caregiving
  • Environment & Climate
  • Business & Economy
View all topics

Menopause, without the noise

Let’s talk about it, in your inbox every Tuesday.

[altcha]

You have been subscribed!

Submitting...

Uh-oh! Something went wrong. Please email community@19thnews.org to subscribe.

This email address might not be capable of receiving emails (according to Bouncer). You should try again with a different email address. If you have any questions, contact us at community@19thnews.org.

  • Latest Stories
  • Our Mission
  • Our Team
  • Strategic Plan
  • Ways to Give
  • Search
  • Contact

We’re an independent, nonprofit newsroom reporting on gender, politics, policy and power. Read our story.

19th News Fellowships

HBCU alums, become a fellow in our newsroom.

Sign up for our newsletter

The 19th thanks our sponsors. Become one.

Politics

Kamala Harris focuses on women’s economic inclusion and leadership on last day in Ghana

The administration announced public and private U.S. investment in closing the digital divide for women in Africa as the vice president spoke to five Ghanaian women entrepreneurs. 

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris sits at a table with women entrepreneurs.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, center, conducts a roundtable of women entrepreneurs to discuss economic empowerment, inclusion, and leadership in Accra, Ghana, Wednesday March 29, 2023. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu)

Errin Haines

Editor-at-large

Published

2023-03-29 09:29
9:29
March 29, 2023
am

Republish this story

Share

  • Bluesky
  • Facebook
  • Email

Republish this story

Become a more informed member of our evolving electorate. Subscribe to The Amendment, a new biweekly newsletter by Errin Haines.

ACCRA, Ghana — Vice President Kamala Harris wrapped up a three-day state visit in Ghana on Wednesday, hosting a roundtable focused on women’s economic empowerment in the country and underscoring the administration’s commitment to the issue more broadly on the African continent. 

Harris met with five Ghanaian women entrepreneurs in fields including medicine, farming, climate, economics and culture at The Mix Design Hub, a woman-owned restaurant, gallery and coworking space. It coincided with the announcement of commitments of public and private funds worth about $1 billion to help close the gender gap in access to the Internet in Africa and help women further their participation in the economy.

The 19th thanks our sponsors. Become one.

“The investments that I have outlined, we believe will help build a future where women are not just treated equally but are able to thrive, where women have the opportunity to lead, and a future simply put where there will be no barriers for the ability of women to participate in the economy, where they can enjoy freedom from violence and equal access to health care and education, and where they can shatter every glass ceiling,” Harris said Wednesday. 

Several of the Black women business leaders smiled and nodded their heads in agreement Wednesday morning as Harris again emphasized the importance not only of women’s inclusion but also their leadership as key to their empowerment and the progress of Ghana, the African continent and around the globe.

“The focus here is on both: inclusion and leadership, understanding that women must have the opportunity and the access to all that is necessary to achieve their goals, their desires, their potential, to also lead,” Harris said.

Harris said that the administration is working to measure the impact of its investment and that she’s “a big believer in metrics.”

“I do believe the window is definitely open now, and I do believe that based on what we do now the window will continue to be open,” she said. “But it will be a function of the investments that we make starting now to create the momentum that is necessary for this approach to endure.” 

Harris’ mission on this trip also involves diplomacy, after the previous administration largely did not engage with Africa, with former President Donald Trump referring to some nations as “shithole countries.” 

Jennifer Hart, an associate professor of history at Wayne State University, said that while the administration’s tone has changed from recent years, the policy commitments will tell the tale on whether there is real change in relations between the United States and Africa.

“The U.S. controls a lot of global economic policy, and that has enormous implications for African countries and the individuals living in them,” Hart said. 

  • More from The 19th
    Kamala Harris speaks seated at a table in front of flags
  • What the vice president’s trip meant to Iowa Democrats and advocates
  • Could Biden choose a new running mate in 2024?
  • What would the economy look like if it worked for women?

Harris, speaking to reporters after the event, linked women’s equality to democracy and security. 

“When you create a system where rule of law is important, equal rights are defended and protected,” Harris said. “You will see greater empowerment of all people, including women, especially if they have been behind or you see extreme disparities. So there’s a correlation there and we’re going to continue to work on it knowing that they’re interconnected.”

Hart said that often the United States and other wealthy countries take a “kind of neocolonial approach” to Africa and that the administration should be thoughtful about what investment looks like regarding women in particular.

“These people are doing amazing stuff; they just need people to get out of their way,” Hart said. “They need access to resources and they need to be listened to, they need to be seen as equals, in a meaningful way. They need the playing field to be a lot more level than it is right now, as a recognition on the part of the United States that it’s not level, it has not been level for two centuries.”

Ghana is the first of three countries Harris, the first woman and African-American vice president, will visit on her historic first trip to the continent as the most powerful Black woman in American politics. She will also travel to Tanzania and Zambia, with a continued focus on gender equality, digital inclusion and democracy. 

While in Ghana, Harris has announced a proposed $100 million in aid to help address the threats of violent extremism and instability in Benin, Ghana, Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire and Togo; delivered a major speech on U.S.-Africa relations; and laid a wreath at Cape Coast Castle, a fort that was the last stop for millions of Africans during the slave trade.

Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated the amount in aid proposed to address the threats of violent extremism. It is $100 million.

Republish this story

Share

  • Bluesky
  • Facebook
  • Email

Recommended for you

A black woman stares into the distance with a strong expression on her face.
Black women’s unemployment is rising. Economists say it’s a warning sign.
A woman holds a child while working at the computer as another child sits next to her.
Women in their 20s and 30s are working more than ever before
Tonika Garibaldi, Saj Dillard and other homeowners showing off planter boxes they made from recycled wood at the Baltimore ToolBank.
‘We have to insert ourselves’: For Black women, seeds of wealth start with homeownership
A view from above looking at lines of job seekers at a job fair.
Suspending monthly economic reports would be really bad for women of color

19th News Fellowships

HBCU alums, become a fellow in our newsroom.

Sign up for our newsletter

Explore more coverage from The 19th
Abortion Politics Education LGBTQ+ Caregiving
View all topics

Support representative journalism today.

Learn more about membership.

  • Give $19
  • Give $50
  • Give $100
  • Any amount
  • Transparency
    • About
    • Team
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Community Guidelines
    • Gift Acceptance Policy
  • Newsroom
    • Latest Stories
    • Strategic Plan
    • 19th News Network
    • Events
    • Careers
    • Fellowships
  • Newsletters
    • Daily
    • The Amendment
    • Menopause
  • Support
    • Ways to Give
    • Sponsorship
    • Republishing
    • Volunteer

The 19th is a reader-supported nonprofit news organization. Our stories are free to republish with these guidelines.