For the first time in more than 15 years, an African leader will visit the White House for a state visit. President Biden will welcome Kenya’s President William Ruto to the White House this week, marking 60 years of relations between the two nations.
The visit by Ruto is expected to highlight Kenya as one of America’s closest allies on the continent, and according to the administration, focus on security, climate, technology, health, and economic and people-to-people ties. However, the visit also highlights less-stable ties with Africa, including the recently announced U.S. withdrawal of troops from Niger and other nations, such as Chad and Libya sidelining U.S. relations for Russia.It’s an area also underscored by the U.S. official to Scripps News, saying we could expect to see a joint vision statement on debt-related issues following the bilateral between the leaders.
Ahead of the official visit, Presidents Biden and Ruto will meet at the White House with 10 business leaders from the countries to discuss technology and innovation partnerships, according to a White House official. The official notes Kenya’s “Silicon Savannah” houses more than 200 start-ups. The roundtable is expected to underscore ties between it and Silicon Valley and “... set the stage for the next chapter of the U.S.-Kenya strategic technology partnership.
People-to-people ties will also be focused on"two democracies partnering,” the official said. The United States Agency for International Development announced a new framework for educational partnerships in STEM-related fields, including $32 million for Kenya’s system this week.