Ivanka Trump in Ethiopia to 'promote women'

Image copyrightUS embassy in EthiopiaImage caption

Ivanka Trump (r) with US officials in Ethiopia

President Donald Trump's eldest daughter, Ivanka Trump, has arrived in Ethiopia to promote a US government initiative aimed at advancing women's participation in the workplace.

The initiative aims to benefit 50 million women in developing countries by 2025.

Ms Trump will visit women working in the coffee industry and a female-run textile facility.

She will also visit Ivory Coast during her four-day tour of Africa.

Launched in February, the Women's Global Development and Prosperity (W-GDP) initiative aims to train women worldwide to help them get well-paying jobs.

According to the initiative's website, low participation of women in the formal labour markets impedes economic growth and poverty reduction in developing countries.

The project is financed by a $50m (£38m) fund within the US international development aid agency (USAid).

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Ms Trump, who also serves as an adviser to her father, will attend a World Bank policy summit while in Ethiopia.

She tweeted ahead of the trip that she was “excited”.

Image Copyright @IvankaTrump@IvankaTrump

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Image Copyright @IvankaTrump@IvankaTrump

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She will visit Ivory Coast later in the week and is set to visit a cocoa farm, as well as participate in a meeting on economic opportunities for women in West Africa.

The Trump administration's policy in Africa has focused on the war on terror and trying to manage the growing political and economic influence of Russia and China on the continent.

It has, however, backed democratic reforms in countries like Ethiopia where Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has implemented a series of progressive changes including the normalisation of relations with Eritrea after a bitter border standoff going back two decades.

The US also recently backed pro-democratic protests in Algeria and Sudan.

Mr Trump, however, upset many in the continent last year after he reportedly used the word “shithole” to describe African nations.