Ivanka Trump plans Africa trip to promote women\'s initiative

Ivanka Trump plans Africa trip to promote women's initiative

AP  |  Washington 

is planning a trip to to promote a global women's initiative she's leading.

The said Wednesday that her schedule includes a women's economic empowerment summit in as well as site visits and meetings with political leaders, executives and female entrepreneurs in both countries.

Accompanying her will be Mark Green, of the U.S. Agency for International Development. On parts of the trip, they will be joined David Bohigian, of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, as well as Kristalina Georgieva, interim of the World Bank Group, which is hosting the summit.

OPIC provides loans, loan guarantees and political risk insurance, funding projects that stretch across continents and industries.

It will be Ivanka Trump's first visit to since the undertook the Women's Global Development and Prosperity Initiative in February. In a statement to The Associated Press, she said she was "excited to travel to Africa" to advance the effort.

Georgieva said in a statement that economic empowerment "can help unleash the enormous potential of women entrepreneurs for job creation and economic growth, especially in "

The initiative involves the State Department, the and other U.S. agencies. It aims to coordinate current programs and develop new ones to assist women in job training, financial support, legal or regulatory reforms and other areas.

says the goal is to economically empower 50 million women in developing countries by 2025.

Money for the effort will come through USAID, which initially set up a USD50 million fund using dollars already budgeted. The president's 2020 budget proposal requests USD100 million for the initiative, which will also be supported by programs across the government as well as private investment.

The White House spending plan would cut overall funding for diplomacy and development.

has made women's economic empowerment a centerpiece of her White House portfolio. She has made a number of international trips, with a focus on these issues, including to and Her travel to Africa follows a five-day tour that made there last year, with a focus on child welfare.

Like the first lady, Ivanka Trump's efforts could be complicated by the president, who was criticised last year after his private comments about "s---hole countries" in Africa and other regions were leaked to journalists.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

First Published: Thu, April 04 2019. 01:35 IST