Jill Biden makes 6th visit to Africa, her 1st as first lady

Jill Biden is not a newcomer to Africa. It will be her sixth time in Africa when she arrives in Namibia on Wednesday as part of a commitment by President Joe Biden to deepen U.S. engagement with fast-growing region. It's her first visit as first ly, though. And she'll be following in footsteps of her recent predecessors, who all me trip across Atlantic Ocean in name of trying to help foster goodwill toward United States.

During five days split between Namibia, located along Atlantic coast in sourn Africa, and Kenya, in east, Jill Biden will focus on empowering women and young people, and highlight food insecurity in Horn of Africa caused by a devastating drought, Russia's war in Ukraine and or factors.

As she departed Washington on Tuesday, first ly declared, “We have a lot to accomplish.” Africa is fastest-growing and youngest region in world, according to White House, which says 1 of every 4 people in world will be African by 2050. White House has withheld specific details of first ly's activities in each country, citing security concerns.

Jill Biden previously visited Africa in 2010, 2011, twice in 2014 and once in 2016, all during Joe Biden's service as U.S. vice president. Two of those trips were with him. This time, she is traveling to Africa without president as he wraps up his own trip to Poland to mark Friday's anniversary of Russia's aggression toward Ukraine.

Patricia Nixon was first first ly to travel to Africa on her own. She went as President Richard Nixon’s “personal representative” to Liberia, Ghana and Ivory Coast in 1972. She dressed legislative bodies and met with African leers about U.S. policy toward country now known as Zimbabwe, and human rights in South Africa, according to National First Lies’ Library.

What recent first lies did on ir visits to Africa:

MELANIA TRUMP

Mrs. Trump visited for first time in 2018, when she spent five days as first ly stopping in Ghana, Malawi, Kenya and Egypt to promote U.S. developmental aid and education, crle babies and highlight animal and historic preservation. She traveled without President Donald Trump, who h denied making disparaging comments about African countries.

She opened trip at an infant clinic in Ghana. She also learned about Africa's slave past during a tour of Cape Coast Castle, a former slave holding facility on Ghanaian coast. She spent time inside cramped dungeon once used to house male slaves and walked through “Door of No Return,” from which slaves were shipped to New World.

In Malawi, former model toured indoor and outdoor classrooms, observed lessons and watched students play soccer with U.S.-donated balls. She highlighted elephant preservation at Nairobi National Park in Kenya. She closed tour in Egypt by touring pyramids and Great Sphinx to highlight U.S.-supported preservation efforts re.

MICHELLE OBAMA

Mrs. Obama went to South Africa and Botswana on a goodwill mission in summer of 2011 to promote youth leership, education and HIV and AIDS awareness.

centerpiece of weeklong trip by America’s first Black first ly was a 30-minute speech at a U.S.-sponsored leership conference at a church in Soweto township. church became a popular refuge during South African people's fight against aparid, now-abolished system of government-imposed segregation. She was accompanied by her daughters, Malia and Sasha; her mor, Marian Robinson; and a niece and nephew. Mrs. Obama also took her daughters to visit with former South African President Nelson Mandela at his home.

Mrs. Obama me a second solo visit to Africa in June 2016, final year of Obama ministration. In Liberia and Morocco, she promoted her “Let Girls Learn” initiative to encourage developing countries to educate girls. She also visited Ghana with President Barack Obama in 2009, his first year in office.

LAURA BUSH

Mrs. Bush traveled to Africa five times on her own between 2005 and 2007 during President George W. Bush’s second term, in dition to two trips she took with him.

Her trips mostly focused on promoting ministration's efforts to combat spre of HIV, as well as malaria. She also emphasized literacy, drug prevention and national parks. During one stop in South Africa, she praised HIV-positive mors for working to erase stigma associated with disease. She spoke openly with African women about taking control of ir sex lives.

Mrs. Bush also announced millions of dollars in U.S. funding for programs to stem spre of AIDS and mosquito-borne malaria. In Mozambique, she covered her face with a white mask to help illustrate benefits of spraying homes with insecticides to combat malaria. She also passed out mosquito nets. She was accompanied on se trips by one or both of her twin daughters, Barbara and Jenna.

HILLARY CLINTON

Hillary Clinton took along her 17-year-old daughter, Chelsea, on her two-week visit in March 1997 to Senegal, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Uganda and Eritrea.

first ly opened her journey at Goree Island in Senegal, a hub for Atlantic slave tre for 300 years. Mrs. Clinton h said she wanted to see island because of its significance to Black Americans. She discussed violent crime in South Africa, along with need to improve education for Black people in a country that recently h abolished its aparid policy of racial segregation.

Mrs. Clinton returned in 1998 when President Bill Clinton me his first visit to Africa; it was also first visit to continent by a U.S. president in 20 years. White House billed 12-day tour of Ghana, Rwanda, Uganda, South Africa, Botswana and Senegal as a way to encourage tre and investment in Africa.