U.S. first lady Melania Trump will visit four countries in Africa next month, on her first major solo international trip.

Mrs. Trump, the wife of U.S. President Donald Trump, will make stops in Ghana, Malawi, Kenya and Egypt during the first week in October, according to a White House statement released Wednesday.

"October 1 will mark the first day of my solo visit to four beautiful and very different countries in Africa," she told a reception in New York on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.

Mrs. Trump said she looks forward to promoting the message of her "Be Best" child-welfare initiative during the trip.

The White House says the U.S. Agency for International Development is helping to coordinate the trip, and notes Mrs. Trump's stops will focus on maternal and newborn care in hospitals, education for children, and the role the United States plays in helping each country to become self-sufficient.