US President Joe Biden (Photo: AFP/VNA)

The announcement is expected to be made during a US-Africa summit to be held in Washington next week, Kirby said. The AU is made up of 55 member states, in which South Africa is the only G20 member from Africa.

Earlier, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee on Africa and Global Health, expressed support for Biden’s expected announcement, saying African nations should have more opportunities to present their insights and propose solutions on global challenges that impact them, from climate change to food security to public health.