Tillerson to make first trip to Africa as top U.S. diplomat

[March 02, 2018]    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will travel to Chad, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Nigeria next week on his first trip to Africa as the top U.S. diplomat, the U.S. State Department said on Thursday.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson gestures during a news conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (not pictured) in Ankara, Turkey, February 16, 2018. REUTERS/Stringer

During his March 6-13 trip, Tillerson "plans to discuss ways we can work with our partners to counter terrorism, advance peace and security, promote good governance, and spur mutually beneficial trade and investment," the department said in a statement.

His itinerary includes a meeting with the leadership of the African Union Commission, which is based in Addis Ababa, the statement said.

(Reporting by Eric Beech; Editing by Lisa Lambert)

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