US-American Secretary of State Hillary Clinton prepares Africa trip

(Version anglaise seulement)

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is arriving in Africa on Tuesday. The stops on her official tour include Kenya, South Africa, Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria.

Clinton´s trip comes just three weeks after President Obama made his first presidential visit to Africa, saying that the continent will be a priority for his administration. Clinton will discuss trade, development and gender violence with African leaders but critics say that the militarization of Africa and the exploitation of its resources should take center stage.

US-American Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is expected in the country on Tuesday evening for the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Forum.

Mrs Clinton is on Wednesday scheduled to deliver a speech at the Ministerial Opening Ceremony for the AGOA Forum. She will also hold talks with Kenya’s senior leaders.

Also during the high-level tour, the top US diplomat will on Wednesday afternoon visit the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) laboratories along Waiyaki Way.

She will be accompanied by US Secretary of Agriculture, Thomas J. Vilsack, together with U.S. Representatives Donald M. Payne and Nita M. Lowey.

“The visit will focus on KARI’s contributions to Kenya’s food security and agricultural development. It will include a laboratory tour, discussion with KARI staff and collaborating partners, observation of a maize research plot, and ceremonial tree-planting,” according to a brief from the US embassy in Nairobi.

“As highlighted in President Obama’s speech at the G-8 meetings and subsequent communiqués, food security is a high priority of this US Administration.”

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), support a wide array of agricultural development activities in Kenya and the region. USAID and USDA have supported KARI through a variety of capacity-building and technology development and transfer programs since the 1960s.

On Thursday, Mrs Clinton is scheduled to meet with Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, the President of Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government.

The seven-nation, 11-day trip is to be Mrs Clinton's longest since she became the top US diplomat six months ago and her first to sub-Saharan Africa.

The State Department has underlined that her visit, which comes just three weeks after President Barack Obama visited the continent, is the earliest trip by a Secretary of State to Africa of any administration.

Mrs Clinton could face tough talks in Nairobi. African leaders have been concerned that President Obama is looking to extend the trade preferences under the 2000 African Growth and Opportunity Act to other poor nations -- including Bangladesh and Cambodia, competitors in the textile market.

Traffic flow in the Nairobi city centre was on Tuesday interrupted following the ongoing African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Forum at Kenyatta International Conference Centre KICC.

Police Spokesman Eric Kiraithe said in a statement that various city roads would remain closed until Thursday when the conference closes.

He said Parliament road, city hall way leading to Uhuru highway junction and Wabera road about would remain closed.

Others are Posta road from Hotel Intercontinental roundabout to GPO.

"The roads will remain closed from Tuesday 9am to Thursday 5pm and only vehicles with AGOA conference special stickers would be allowed to access the roads" added Kiraithe

Motorists were however inconvenienced following the directive that caught many unaware.

Kiraithe appealed to motorists to cooperate and where possible avoid the Nairobi Central Business District to avoid being inconvenienced.
" Police traffic police officers will be deployed in their relevant areas to direct traffic as necessary" he said.

Clinton visit

Meanwhile security has been tightened ahead of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visit.

Mrs Clinton arrives in the country on Tuesday evening for the AGOA forum that opened on Tuesday.

She will officially open the meeting (tomorrow)Wednesday.
She is also expected to meet top government officials and the president of lawless Somalia's interim government.

Over 2,000 delegates from the US and across Africa are in Nairobi for the forum to discuss ways in which the continent can benefit from preferential trade with America.

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