Kerry mentioned such a trip in passing during an answer to a question about Africa during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing. He revealed no details about when Obama might go or what countries he would visit.
"Africa we need to be deeply engaged in and intend to be. And the president will travel there. We have a lot to do," Kerry said in response to questions from Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.)
"Six of the 10 or 12 fastest growing countries in the world are in Africa," Kerry said just before floating the idea of an Obama trip. "We all are concerned about our economic future. China is investing more in Africa than we are and it doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game. We have to recognize where our future economic interests and capacity may lie."
During Obama's first term he spent a total of about 22 hours in subsaharan Africa, all during a single trip to Ghana tacked on to a trip to Russia and Italy in July 2009.
A White House official who asked not to be named said that Obama does intend to return to Africa, but "nothing [is] locked in yet."
"He definitely thinks its important to go, it just remains to be set [and] scheduled," the Obama aide said.
Last year, a State Department official told foreign journalists that the White House was planning a presidential trip to Africa for sometime this year.
- Politico
