U.S. Secretary of State to make first tour to 5 African nations

WASHINGTON, March 1 (Xinhua) -- U.S. State Department said on Thursday that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will travel to five African nations on March 6-13.

State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said in a statement that Tillerson's first official trip to Africa will take him to Chad, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Nigeria.

In the tour, Tillerson will meet with leadership in these countries, as well as the leadership of the African Union Commission based in Addis Ababa of Ethiopia, in a bid to further the U.S. partnerships with the governments and people of Africa.

In particular, he plans to discuss ways that the United State and Africa can work to counter terrorism, advance peace and security, promote good governance, and spur mutually beneficial trade and investment. Enditem