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At a joint press conference with Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo, Harris stated, "President [Joe] Biden and I have made clear the United States is strengthening our partnerships across the continent of Africa.

Over the past two decades, China has made significant investments in Africa, particularly in the areas of infrastructure, mining, forestry, and fisheries. Meanwhile, the Russian private military contractor Wagner Group offers security assistance in a number of nations.

Wagner's presence in West Africa continues to worry Akufo-Addo, who claimed in December that Burkina Faso, its troubled neighbor, had hired the mercenaries.

That "raises the very real possibility... that our continent may once again serve as the arena for great power conflict," the speaker stated.

Many nations in West Africa and the Sahel have been battling to put an end to armed group warfare that has resulted in humanitarian catastrophes, stoked unrest, and supported military coups in Mali and Burkina Faso.

Harris said to Akufo-Addo, "We admire your leadership in reaction to recent democratic backsliding in West Africa.

She stated, "Today I am pleased to announce $100m in support of Benin, Ghana, Guinea, Cote d'Ivoire and Togo to assist address the challenges of violent extremism and instability.

According to Harris' office, this sum will be added to the $139 million in aid that the US plans to give Ghana in the 2024 fiscal year.

During the press conference, Harris was questioned about whether her tour would include Ghana, where a bill that would severely curtail LGBT rights is being debated in the legislature.

Harris said, "I have brought up this issue," adding that she was adamantly in favor of liberty and equality for all and that LGBT rights were a matter of human rights.

Being gay, bisexual, or transgender would be illegal under the draft bill proposed in Ghana. Although no one has been charged in years, gay sex is already punished by up to three years in prison under Ghanaian law.

The new bill would increase prison sentences and require individuals to engage in "conversion therapy," or practices designed to alter their sexual orientation. Parliament held public hearings on the measure commencing in 2021. When it will be put to a vote is unknown.

When a US reporter inquired about the bill, Akufo-Addo responded that it was not official government policy but rather had been proposed by legislators acting in their personal capacities.

A legislative committee has received comments from the attorney general regarding "the validity or otherwise of numerous of its provisions," he added.

“My understanding … is that large sections of the law have already been adjusted as a result of the participation of the attorney general,” he stated without revealing details.

“I have no doubt that the parliament of Ghana will show as it has done in the past … its sensitivity to human rights issues as well as to the feelings of our population and will come out with a responsible response to the proposed legislation,” the president said.