First lady Melania Trump began her trip to Africa Tuesday by holding a baby at a Ghanaian hospital, passing out teddy bears and blankets, and having tea with Ghana’s first lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo.

Trump arrived in the West African nation on Tuesday, kicking off her first major solo international trip. She’ll also visit Malawi, Kenya, and Egypt over the five-day tour that is her first visit to Africa.

A welcoming ceremony of dancers and drummers greeted Trump in Accra, Ghana, as she disembarked from Executive One, the government plane carrying her on her travels.

Trump distributed teddy bears and “Be Best”-themed blankets to mothers and their young children at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital. During the visit, she picked up a 6-month-old baby and made faces at him and watched how babies are weighed — by being placed in sacks that are hung from a hook attached to a scale.

Trump’s journey through Africa is part of her “Be Best” initiative, which focuses on the well-being of children, fighting opioid abuse, and promoting positivity on social media.

President Trump said on Twitter he was proud of her visit.

[Opinion: The first lady touched down in Ghana. Here’s why her solo trip to Africa matters]


Trump said last week during a reception at the United Nations General Assembly session that she planed to highlight the African nations’ “progress in overcoming some of their biggest challenges.”

The first lady also had a private meeting with Akufo-Addo. The two had tea and exchanged gifts. Trump gave her Ghanaian counterpart a Chippendale silver tray etched with an image of the White House. Akufo-Addo gifted Trump a Kente cloth and an artifact.

The two first ladies met for the first time at last week’s reception in New York City.