Barack Obama Hails US-Africa Ties in Summit

Washington: Aimed in part at fostering his African legacy, President Barack Obama heralded Africa as a continent on the rise and a growth market for US businesses in an unprecedented summit that he vowed to make a recurrent event.

The summit Wednesday also marked a rare return to Washington for former President George W. Bush, who launched a $15 billion HIV/AIDS initiative while in office and has made public health issues in Africa a priority since leaving the White House. Bush partnered with first lady Michelle Obama to host a daylong event for spouses of the African leaders.

"There's not many things that convince me to come back to Washington," said Bush, who now lives in Texas and steers clear of politics. "The first lady's summit, of course, is one."

While Obama has continued Bush's AIDS program, he has been seeking his own legacy-building Africa initiatives. This week's US-Africa summit, which brought together leaders from more than 50 African nations, was seen as a cornerstone of that effort, and Obama pledged to make the gathering a recurring event.

"Africa must know that they will always have a strong and reliable partner in the United States of America," Obama said at a news conference marking the end of the three-day summit.

Advertisement

Much of the summit centered on boosting U.S. business ties with Africa, which is home to six of the world's 10 fastest-growing economies and a rapidly expanding middle class.

Yet the summit's final day of discussions underscored the challenges that could undermine economic growth. Health crises remain among Africa's most pressing problems, including the current outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in West Africa.

Advertisement

Obama acknowledged that the public health systems in affected countries have been overwhelmed by the outbreak and said the U.S. was encouraging them to focus their efforts on rapidly identifying and isolating patients.

The president also pledged to expand security cooperation with African nations in order to address threats from terrorism and human trafficking, alluding to U.S. concerns that extremism in North Africa and the Sahel could destabilize the already volatile region.

Advertisement

"The entire world has a stake in peacekeeping in Africa," Obama said.

Before taking questions from reporters, Obama convened a session with African leaders on good governance, universal rights and the strengthening of civil societies. And he defended U.S. engagement with countries that have problematic records on those fronts, arguing that America's involvement can help spur those nations to do better.

Advertisement

Among the leaders treated to an elaborate reception the night before at the White House were figures such as Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, who has pleaded innocent regarding his alleged role in organizing violence that left more than 1,000 people dead. Obama has also spoken out repeatedly against recent laws passed in some African countries targeting lesbians and gays, including Uganda, which was represented at the summit.

Obama's wife convened a gathering of African first ladies, talking about investments in education, health and economic development. She was joined by Laura Bush, reprising an event the two American first ladies held last summer in Tanzania.

Advertisement

Calling Africa "an underappreciated continent," Mrs. Obama said it was incumbent upon the world to develop a better understanding of what it has to offer.

Mrs. Obama and Mrs. Bush also focused on the need to educate girls. Mrs. Obama noted that 30 million girls in sub-Saharan Africa do not attend school.

"We do need to make sure worldwide that all women are valued," Mrs. Bush said during the rare joint appearance that highlighted the relationship that has developed between the two first ladies.

George Bush also gave his endorsement for efforts to support women in Africa, declaring, "Taking care of women is good politics." He announced that a global health partnership that helped screen more than 100,000 women in Botswana, Tanzania and Zambia for cervical cancer in the past three years was expanding into Namibia and Ethiopia