Aimed in part at fostering his African legacy, US 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 recurring event.
The summit on Wednesday also marked a rare return to Washington for former US president George W. Bush, who launched a US$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 day-long event for spouses of the African leaders.
“There’s [sic] 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 Barack 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.
Much of the summit centered on boosting US 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.
President Obama acknowledged that the public health systems in affected countries have been overwhelmed by the outbreak and said the US 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 US concerns that extremism in North Africa and the Sahel could destabilize the already volatile region.
“The entire world has a stake in peacekeeping in Africa,” he said.
Before taking questions from reporters, he convened a session with African leaders on good governance, universal rights and the strengthening of civil societies.
He also defended US engagement with countries that have problematic records on those fronts, arguing that Washington’s involvement can help spur those nations to do better.
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.
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