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The U.S. Secretary of State arrived in Ivory Coast on Monday (January 16) for a 24-hour visit to the country.
Hillary Clinton is on a four nation tour of West Africa, on a trip aimed at highlighting good governance and economic development.
The United States has a major embassy in Ivory Coast, and various economic interests in the cocoa sector, as well as other sectors.
Clinton's visit to Ivory Coast will allow her to meet President Alassane Outtara after his ruling coalition won a landslide victory in December 11 parliamentary elections that boosted his hand in governing the war-scarred West African state.
On Tuesday (January 17), she will become the first ever U.S. secretary of state to visit Togo, which won a non-permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council for 2012-2013, putting it in the hotseat as the United States presses the international community for more action against Iran and Syria.
Clinton will wrap up her trip in the tiny Atlantic Ocean state of Cape Verde, which has moved from autocracy to prosperous democracy and is a frequent U.S. partner on issues including counter-narcotics cooperation.