Africa

Ivanka Trump eyes laws, conditions that deter African women

Associated Press
Published | Updated

Ivanka Trump, the US president's daughter and senior advisor, center, arrives to attend the African Women's Empowerment Dialogue in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), Monday April 15, 2019. Ivanka Trump is on a four-day trip to Ethiopia and Ivory Coast on behalf of a White House project intended to boost 50 million women in developing countries by 2025. (AP Photo/Mulugeta Ayene)

White House senior adviser Ivanka Trump, left, shakes hands with Kwesi Quartey, Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), Monday April 15, 2019, after they met and signed a statement together at the AUC headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Ivanka Trump is putting the spotlight on laws and conditions that deter African women.

The president's daughter and senior adviser is in Africa to promote a White House global women's project. She spoke out during a policy discussion with Ethiopia's president about road blocks women face, after signing a joint statement with the African Union Commission.

She signed the agreement with the body's deputy chairman, Kwesi Quartey. The United States and the commission are pledging to help empower women and to fight problems like child marriage, human trafficking and sexual abuse. Trump noted the "collective goal" to eliminate gender-based violence, and she stressed the shared focus on providing access to education and business opportunities.