CODEL to East Africa Includes Feed the Future Site Visits

USAID Assistant Administrator for the Africa Bureau Earl Gast recently accompanied a Congressional delegation to East Africa led by Senator Chris Coons (D-DE), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Subcommittee on Africa. The CODEL also included Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), Ranking Member on House Armed Services Committee; and Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa.

Among the site visits on the trip were a farm in Kenya that is working to develop hybrid corn and drought-tolerant sorghum that can be distributed through local Feed the Future projects. Members of the CODEL also met with key African leaders including Presidents of Kenya, Uganda, and Zanzibar; Vice President of Tanzania; Ministers of Agriculture and Defense; and Members of Parliament, including Kenyan Speaker Kenneth Marende. They also participated in meetings with business and trade groups, such as the Kenya Private Sector Alliance and Kenya Association of Manufacturers.

Other highlights included a roundtable on LGBT and human rights issues and meetings withcivil society and peace groups to discuss preparations for elections, prospects for instability, and key issues that will influence prospects for peace. The group also met with General Ham to discuss the role of AFRICOM in development and civilian-military coordination.