US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen accused the Russian invasion of Ukraine in Dakar on Friday of slowing growth in Africa and pushing millions of Africans into poverty and hunger.

"Russia's barbaric aggression against its neighbor is being felt especially in Africa and by its people," said Yellen, who began a 10-day visit to three African countries - Senegal, Zambia and South Africa - in the Senegalese capital.

"Russia's war and the militarization of food have exacerbated food insecurity and caused untold suffering," said the Treasury Secretary in a speech to the General Delegation for Rapid Entrepreneurship for Women and Youth (DER/FJ) in Senegal.

For Yellen, quoted by Lusa, "the global economic headwinds caused by the actions of one man - President [Vladimir] Putin - are creating unnecessary ballast in the African economy".

The Treasury Secretary recalled the collaboration between the United States and African leaders to "mitigate the damage caused by Russia", which led Washington to allocate around 13 billion dollars in 2022 for emergency aid and food assistance.

The American also highlighted her country's work to unblock Ukrainian food exports in the Black Sea Grains Initiative, particularly to the African continent.

Meanwhile, he said that "a strategic partnership is being established between the United States and Africa on food security".

"This partnership will respond to the short-term needs of more than 300 million Africans affected by the food crisis and will also help build resilient and sustainable food systems in the long term," he said.

Yellen also alluded to how the war in Ukraine threatened energy security around the world, and stressed the importance of the strategy of limiting the price of Russian crude oil to stabilize energy prices on international markets and reduce Russia's revenues.

"Although this policy is in the early stages of implementation, the [US] Treasury estimates that it could save the 17 largest net oil-importing countries in Africa about 6 billion dollars annually," he estimated, encouraging more countries to use the price cap to negotiate more significant discounts with Russia.

The Secretary of the Treasury announced in Dakar the US intention to expand trade and investment in Africa in a "mutually beneficial" way.

"We are seeking greater economic integration with Africa because we believe it is in our economic interests," he said.

"Our leadership in the industries of the future depends on our partnership with Africa," he added, referring to sectors such as "clean energy, electric vehicles and cutting-edge technology".

In the last two years, the US has helped facilitate more than 800 trade and investment agreements in 47 African countries, Yellen said, referring to the programs developed under the U.S. Development Finance Corp. and the Millennium Challenge Corp. aimed at promoting economic integration, helping American and African companies and investors to identify new partners and growth opportunities.

Janet Yellen also recalled that for more than two decades the United States has provided Senegal and other sub-Saharan African countries with duty-free access to the US market for thousands of products.

"But we know that expanding trade outside the continent is not enough, African products and innovations must be made more accessible to Africans themselves," she said, underlining Washington's support for the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which came into force in May 2019 and aims to create a single market for goods and services for 55 countries in a process that will take place in several phases.

Before traveling to Africa, Yellen met on Wednesday with her Chinese counterpart, Liu He, in Switzerland, as part of an effort to ease tensions between the US and the Asian superpower, but the White House's strategy for sub-Saharan Africa has been to express concerns about China's involvement in the continent.

Africa holds 30% of the most important minerals to meet the needs of the modern world, including 40% of global gold production, up to 90% of chromium and platinum, and has the largest reserves of cobalt, diamonds, platinum and uranium in the world, according to the United Nations Environment Program.

The Secretary of State's agenda for today includes a meeting with the Senegalese Minister for the Economy, Oulimata Sarr, talks with young businesswomen, and ends the day with dinner at the residence of the Senegalese President, Macky Sall.

Yellen is the first US government official to visit the continent since US President Joe Biden announced during the US-Africa Leaders Summit in December that he plans to visit Africa later this year, along with Vice President Kamala Harris, First Lady Jill Biden and several secretaries of the Administration in Washington.