Hillary Clinton’s Africa Trip Concluding

(Abuja) — Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is wrapping up her 11-day, seven-nation Africa trip on what’s being seen as a mostly goodwill and listening tour. Clinton leaves Abuja today for a brief stopover in Liberia’s capital of Monrovia before overnighting in Cape Verde. She returns to Washington on Friday. The trip was Clinton’s longest as secretary of state and was designed to show Africa is a priority for the first African-American U.S. president. Despite its intentions, some have been disappointed by the lack of substance from Clinton’s visit. Bronwyn Bruton, from the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, said she, quote, “expected more than just the hugging of the status quo” from Clinton. Bruton said she got the impression that the secretary of state reached out and let it be known that Africa is on the Obama Administration’s radar, but, quote, “Clinton is also trying to make the most of the existing framework.”

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