Harris in Africa Looks to Painful Past, Innovative Future

On Tuesday, Vice President Kamala Harris stood in front of a monument honoring Ghana's victory over colonialism and spoke of a bright future for the U.S. and Africa that will be driven by innovation on the continent. Yet, she also insists on visiting a seashore fort where slaves from Africa were put onto ships sailing to the Americas in order to confront old traumas.

She addressed the throng gathering outside the Black Stone Gate, the monument with the words "Freedom and Justice," and 1957, the year the country gained independence, saying that "We have an intermingled history, some of which is traumatic and some of which is proud." And we need to remember to always acknowledge, educate, and remember.

Her second full day in Ghana was filled with activities as part of a week-long vacation that included stops in Tanzania and Zambia. As the United States expands its engagement with the continent, Harris is the most prominent official to visit the region under President Joe Biden's tenure.

Several people waited hours at Independence Square to meet Harris since she is a strong symbol in Ghana and the country's first Black and South Asian vice president. Harris was scheduled to speak at Cape Coast Castle after giving his address there as well.

Being the first Black vice president of the United States, she stated, "Because of this history, this continent of course has a great meaning for me personally. And like many of us, I learnt this history when I was a small child."

Seeing the first female vice president was described as "a fantastic occasion" by Tracy Sika Brobbey. Harris "gives us some kind of hope, that we may think that everything is possible," said Margaret Mintah, who waited next to her.

It's almost a blessing, she continued.

While he envisioned "a future that is fueled by African creativity," Harris promised a new age of collaboration with Africa.

As part of her endeavor to highlight Africa as a destination for US private-sector investment, she spent a significant portion of her comments on innovation and entrepreneurship. After years of being ignored, Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo said he wants to see it.

Harris emphasized the continent's innovations in the delivery of emergency healthcare supplies and the provision of vaccines, as well as in farming and mineral processing, saying that "we must invest in the African ingenuity and creativity, which will unlock incredible economic growth and opportunities."

"Not by what we can do for our African partners, but by what we can do with our African partners," the U.S. must be led.

Yet Harris also focused on areas where work needs to be done, such as advancing democracies globally, developing Africa's digital economy, and empowering women.

"Women must be able to engage completely in economic, political, and social life and must be able to participate equally in all aspects of life, including leadership responsibilities," she said. The idea of freedom—not merely the freedom from oppression or want, but also the freedom to shape one's own future—is the foundation of women's empowerment.

With China and Russia each protecting their own interests on the continent as well, there is a global fight over the future of Africa that includes U.S. outreach. Yet during her time here, Harris has taken care to minimize the significance of geopolitical disputes.

Together, she continued, "we can unleash prosperity and opportunity that are much above what either the public or private sector can do on their own."

Africa's population has a median age of 19, and Harris praised the young of the continent as "dreamers and innovators" who would "drive the future" with their "spark, their inventiveness, and their tenacity."

Picture a world, she continued, "driven by African ingenuity, where everyone is linked to the digital economy, where every young person believes their views are heard.