Remarks by the Vice President at an Arrival Ceremony in Accra, Ghana

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon.

AUDIENCE: Good afternoon!

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon. Thank you for the warm welcome, all our young leaders -- all the leaders. Thank you for this warm welcome on behalf of my husband, the Second Gentleman of the United States -- and, of course, we bring you greetings from the President of the United States, Joe Biden, and the First Lady, Jill Biden.

What an honor it is to be here in Ghana and on the continent of Africa. Today begins a weeklong journey, first here in Ghana, then on to Tanzania, and then Zambia.

On behalf of the President and our entire nation, we bring you greetings, and we are looking forward to this trip as a further statement of the long and enduring and very important relationship and friendship between the people of the United States and those who live on the continent of Africa.

I'm very excited about the future of Africa. I'm very excited about the impact of the future of Africa on the rest of the world, including the United States of America.

When I look at what is happening on this continent and the fact that the median age is 19 years old -- and what that tells us about the growth, of opportunity, of innovation, of possibilities -- I see in all of that great opportunity not only for the people of this continent, but the people of the world, especially when we understand that by the year 2050, we believe one in four people on Earth will be on the continent of Africa.

So I am here to address some of the issues that relate to the partnership between this continent, its people, and the people of the United States, and to reinforce the work that we will continue to do together, be that on addressing the climate crisis, to supply chains, to our work together on international rules and norms.

In particular on this trip, I intend to do work that is focused on increasing investments here on the continent and facilitating economic growth and opportunity, specifically in the areas of economic empowerment of women and girls, empowerment of youth entrepreneurship, digital inclusion, and to support the work that must be done to increase food security, including adaptation to the effects of the climate crisis.

I look forward to my meetings with President Akufo-Addo, President Samia, and President Hichilema. We will build on the previous meetings I have had with each of them to strengthen democracy and good governance, promote peace and security, build on long-term economic growth, and strengthen our business ties.

I also look forward, during this visit, to meet with entrepreneurs and artists and students and farmers to witness firsthand the extraordinary innovation and creativity that is occurring on this continent and inspiring the world. We have a lot of work ahead of us.

And, again, I'm so very excited to be here, and I thank you all for the very warm welcome. Thank you. (Applause.)