Deputy secretary of state Wendy Sherman met with two African presidents in three countries on her first official visit to sub-Saharan Africa since joining the Joe Biden administration.
She visited South Africa, Angola and Gabon during the senior-most diplomatic visit to the region since secretary of state Antony Blinken visited in November. During her five-day trip that ended with a swing by Paris, Sherman honed in on US priorities for relations with the continent, including the fight against climate change and the Covid-19 pandemic, deepening bilateral trade and investment, and pressing for international condemnation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.