United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited Liberia on Thursday, anxious to show support for Africa’s only woman president.
Clinton wanted to go to Liberia — the sixth nation on an 11-day tour of Africa — to demonstrate US backing for ”democratic progress” in the colony founded in the 19th century by freed former American slaves, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson said before the trip.
”Liberia is one of our historically most important relationships in Africa. The secretary wants to reaffirm US support for President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the only female African president,” he said.
As well as meeting Johnson-Sirleaf, Clinton was due to address Parliament and visit the police academy. The United States has provided funding for security forces in Liberia.
Johnson-Sirleaf is seen by the outside world to be doing a good job fighting corruption, but the country’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission has recommended she be barred from office because of her association with warlords.
The Liberian president will also push Clinton to help the country’s development by increasing trade and investment.
A theme of Clinton’s message to African countries during her seven-nation trip has been the importance of tackling corruption and improving governance as necessary steps towards attracting aid and investment.
The global economic crisis has come at a difficult time for Liberia as it recovers from years of conflict that ended in elections in 2005 when Johnson-Sirleaf became Africa’s first female president and vowed to fight corruption.
The president is trying to rebuild an economy shattered by the war, buying back $1,2-billion of outstanding government debt earlier this year, a key step towards attracting investment.
After visiting Liberia for a few hours, Clinton flies on to Cape Verde, where she will stay overnight before returning to Washington on Friday. — Reuters