U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton travels to Senegal Tuesday on a week-long trip to sub-Saharan Africa.
The State Department says Clinton will visit eight countries during her tour, including South Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, Malawi, South Africa, Nigeria and Benin.
Officials say she will use her trip to try to help African countries strengthen democratic institutions and spur economic growth.
On her first stop in Senegal, the State Department says Clinton will meet with President Macky Sall and will highlight Senegal as an example of the resilience of democratic institutions. She also is expected to make a speech on democracy at a university in Dakar.
Sall defeated former president Abdoulaye Wade in March, in an election marked by violence and controversy over whether Mr. Wade was entitled to run for a third term.
Clinton has previously made several trips to sub-Saharan Africa.
Last June, she visited Ethiopia, Zimbabwe and Tanzania. During that trip, Clinton voiced concern about China's aid and investment practices in Africa, saying they are not always consistent with generally accepted international norms of transparency and good governance.