First female U.S. vice president Harris congratulates Tanzania’s first woman president Hassan

WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 18: U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris leads a meeting with women leaders of the labor community to commemorate Womens History Month and the passage of the American Rescue Plan in Harris’ ceremonial office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on March 18, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images)

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris Saturday congratulated Tanzania’s new president Samia Suluhu Hassan, the first woman to hold that office.

Through a posting tweet, Vice President Kamala Harris said that the United States was ready to strengthen ties between the two countries.

Sending best wishes to @SuluhuSamia following her swearing in as Tanzania's new President – the first woman to hold the office. The United States stands ready to work with you to strengthen relations between our countries.
— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) March 20, 2021

Hassan, who had been vice president since 2015, on Friday urged the country to unite.

The U.S. Trade Representative’s office is leading U.S. efforts to forge a new trade and investment partnership with the East African Community, a regional organization that includes Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.

Total trade between the two countries was $462 million in 2019. U.S. foreign direct investment (FDI) in Tanzania was $1.5 billion in 2019, a 5.2% increase from 2018, according to U.S. government data.