US secretary of state on first official trip to Sub-Saharan Africa

Washington — US secretary of state Rex Tillerson begins his first official trip to Sub-Saharan Africa with a pledge to help shore up trade, civic freedom and good governance in countries that US President Donald Trump has harshly criticised. US budgetary priorities tell a different story. Tillerson heads to the continent with the Trump administration advocating cuts of more than a third in aid to African countries and programmes, along with deep reductions to global health initiatives. With several US allies struggling to rein in Islamist extremist groups, and China increasingly making inroads on the continent, the US security relationship will be the focus. While the top US diplomat has a broad itinerary on his five-nation trip, Africa experts say Tillerson’s planned stops in Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya, Chad and Nigeria underscore the emphasis on security — and away from the traditional US role as advocate and partner for good governance and development. "The common thread among the...