US First Lady Arrives in Ghana on First Leg of Solo Africa Trip

U.S. First Lady Melania Trump landed under cloudy skies in Accra, Ghana, on Oct. 2, the first stop in her extended solo trip to Africa.

Before greeting officials, the first lady accepted a bouquet of flowers wrapped in a kente cloth from Lillian Naa Adai Sai, an 8-year-old girl who looked starstruck. Trump then greeted Rebecca Akufo-Addo, the first lady of Ghana, at the foot of a red carpet rolled out on the tarmac.

Before departing the airport, the two first ladies watched an arrival ceremony that featured tribal dancers and children waving Ghanaian and American flags.

Children carry flags as they greet U.S. first lady Melania Trump on arrival in Accra, Ghana, on Oct. 2, 2018. Carlo Allegri/Reuters

Dancers greet U.S. first lady Melania Trump on arrival in Accra, Ghana, as she begins her tour of several African countries, on Oct. 2, 2018. Carlo Allegri/Reuters

When asked about the first lady’s trip to Africa, President Donald Trump said he watched her walk down from the plane in Africa.

“It was beautiful and, saying hello to the kids, she is really doing a great job as first lady,” Trump said.

The first lady’s trip to Africa is her first solo journey; she usually accompanies the president on trips. She will return to Washington by the end of the week.

Melania Trump announced her trip during a speech at the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Sept. 26.

“Since becoming first lady, I have had the privilege of speaking with many of the spouses of world leaders,” she said. “Our discussions are always united by the universal desire to provide children with the support and tools necessary to grow up happy, healthy, and responsible adults.”

All four countries that the first lady will visit receive funds from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). She highlighted what the United States is doing for each nation in her speech announcing the trip.

“There are many programs across the country that are doing great things for children, and I believe we can replicate many of these programs overseas. This is why I am pleased to be working closely with USAID as I prepare for my first major international trip to Africa,” the first lady said.

Hospital

The first ladies first stopped at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital. At an outdoor seating area where about 10 mothers sat, Trump picked up a chubby-cheeked baby and made faces at him, to the delight of the assembled mothers and hospital officials. The first lady then helped pass out baskets donated by the White House.

“Congratulations,” the first lady said, as she handed a blanket and teddy bear to a mother breastfeeding her child.

Trump then watched as health officials weighed babies in sacks hanging from a pulley as part of routine wellness checks. Local women have to pay the equivalent of $2 per sack, so the White House donated a bundle of them to the hospital.

“Healthy boy,” she said approvingly, as one 6-month-old baby dangled on the pulley in front of her.

The first lady then visited a newly constructed wing of the hospital to visit babies in the neonatal intensive care unit.

Jubilee House

The two first ladies than traveled to Jubilee House, Ghana’s presidential palace, for a private meeting.

The pair exchanged gifts. Trump brought a silver Chippendale tray etched with an image of the White House. The tray was carried in a leather case bearing the first lady’s signature.

In return, Trump received a kente cloth, a Ghanaian fabric distinguished by its multicolored strips of cotton or silk, and an artifact.

The two first ladies met for the first time at the U.N. General Assembly last week. The pair spent about half an hour inside the Jubilee House having tea before Trump departed to her hotel.

‘Be Best’ Campaign

Trump has made the well-being of children the focus of her work as first lady and plans to bring this message to Africa on her trip. Her campaign, called “Be Best,” focuses on issues including social media use and opioid abuse.

Trump’s stops will focus on nutrition for women and children, health care for mothers and newborns, early childhood education, wildlife conservation, and tourism. The first lady will also highlight the role Washington plays in helping each country, according to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which helped to coordinate the trip.

Previous first ladies have had similar policy initiatives geared toward youth, such as Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign to fight childhood obesity and Nancy Reagan’s “Say No to Drugs.”

Aid

USAID and the U.S. State Department provided more than $8 billion in assistance to 47 countries in sub-Saharan Africa in 2015.

The aid goes towards preventing conflict and violent extremism, supporting democracy, and combating poverty and disease.

Tourism

Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, Ghana’s minister of information, expected the first lady’s visit to be a boon for the country’s tourism industry.

“We expect that the visit will also aid us in the various efforts that we are making to promote a number of tourism sites in the country. All in all, her visit is to aid us in boosting tourism as well as strengthen Ghana-US ties,” Nkrumah told Revelare Online.