In Pics: Blinken Arrives in Nairobi to Start His Africa Trip

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Nairobi on Wednesday to visit three of the continent's major players: Kenya, Nigeria, and Senegal.

"Glad to be in Kenya, a nation with which we have a deep and long-standing friendship. Looking forward to meeting with government officials and civil society to discuss our shared interests and affirm our strategic partnership," Blinken said on Twitter.

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Climate change and security in Ethiopia, Sudan and the Sahel are set to top Blinken's agenda in the first Africa trip following the COP26 climate talks in Glasgow, where poorer nations called on wealthy governments to do more to help them combat climate change.

This visit will likely seek to highlight the difference between President Joe Biden's administration and his predecessor Donald Trump. Trump dismissed some African nations as "shitholes", leaving key diplomatic posts to Africa empty.

The first stop will be Kenya, where President Uhuru Kenyatta is going to discuss security following last month's coup in Sudan and war in Ethiopia.

Last week, the U.S. Secretary pointed out that Ethiopia could "implode", a prospect that would widen famine there and send millions of refugees around an already unstable region.

During his visit, he will also meet civil society representatives, considered an important bulwark of Kenyan democracy ahead of next year's national election. Sometimes, polls may turn violent and Kenya, East Africa's wealthiest and most stable nation, is headquarters to many multinationals.