First Lady Melania Trump landed under cloudy skies in Accra, Ghana, on Oct. 2, the first stop in her extended solo trip to Africa.
Before greeting officials, the first lady accepted a bouquet of flowers wrapped in a kente cloth from Lillian Naa Adai Sai, an 8-year-old girl who looked starstruck looking up at Trump.
The first lady then greeted Rebecca Akufo-Addo, the first lady of Ghana, at the foot of a red carpet rolled out on the tarmac.
Before departing the airport, the two first ladies watched an arrival ceremony that featured tribal dancers and children waving Ghanaian and American flags.
Asked about the first lady's trip to Africa, President Donald Trump said he watched her walk down from the plane in Africa.
"It was beautiful and saying hello to the kids, she is really doing a great job as first lady, Trump said.
The first lady usually accompanies her husband on trips across the world. Her trip to Africa is her first solo journey. She will return to Washington by the end of the week.
Melania Trump announced her trip during a speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Sept. 26.
“Since becoming First Lady, I have had the privilege of speaking with many of the spouses of world leaders,” she said. “Our discussions are always united by the universal desire to provide children with the support and tools necessary to grow up happy, healthy, and responsible adults."
All four countries that the first lady will visit receive funds from USAID. She highlighted what the United States is doing for each nation in her speech announcing the trip.
Hospital
The first ladies first stopped at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital. At an outdoor seating area where about ten mothers sat, Melania Trump picked up a chubby-cheeked baby and made faces at him, to the delight of the assembled mothers and hospital officials. The first lady then helped pass out baskets donated by the White House."Congratulations,” the first lady said as she handed a blanket and teddy bear to a mother breastfeeding her child.
Melania Trump then watched as health officials weighed babies in sacks hanging from a pulley as part of routine wellness checks. Local women have to pay the equivalent of $2 per sack, so the White House donated a bundle of them to the hospital.
“Healthy boy,” she said approvingly as one 6-month-old baby dangled on the pulley in front of her.
Jubilee House
The two first ladies than traveled to Jubilee House, Ghana's presidential palace, for a private meeting.The pair exchanged gifts. Melania Trump brought a silver Chippendale tray etched with an image of the White House. The tray was carried in a leather case bearing the first lady's signature.
In return, Melania Trump received a kente cloth, a Ghanaian fabric distinguished by its multicolored strips of cotton or silk, and an artifact.
Be Best
Melania Trump has made the well-being of children the focus of her work as first lady and plans to bring this message to Africa on her trip. Her campaign, called "Be Best," focuses on issues including social media use and opioid abuse.Trump’s stops will focus on nutrition for women and children, health care for mothers and newborns, early childhood education, wildlife conservation, and tourism. The first lady will also highlight the role Washington plays in helping each country, according to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which helped to coordinate the trip.