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US: Treasury’s Yellen embarks on Africa ‘listening’ tour with China and Russia in crosshairs

By Julian Pecquet

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Posted on January 17, 2023 10:31

 © US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen meets with Senegal President Macky Sall during the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen meets with Senegal President Macky Sall during the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen begins a 10-day trip to Africa today, kicking off a flurry of high-level engagements in 2023 to be capped by a future visit from President Joe Biden himself.

The tour represents the opening salvo to the stepped-up outreach that Biden promised during last month’s US-Africa Leaders Summit as Washington looks to deepen economic ties with the continent while offering a desirable alternative to rivals such as China and Russia. In stops in Senegal, Zambia and South Africa, Yellen will tout the financial firepower of the world’s biggest economy in helping Africa deal with a host of issues, from food insecurity to the energy transition to crushing debt.

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