President Bush Outlines his Agenda for U.S. - African Relations
Remarks by the President to the Corporate Council on Africa's U.S.-Africa Business Summit
Washington Hilton Hotel
Washington, D.C.
12:13 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Please be seated. Thanks for the warm welcome. It
is my honor to be here with the entrepreneurs and scholars who are
committed to building a hopeful future for Africa. I'm honored to be
with so many distinguished African leaders who know that market reforms
and open trade can lift every nation on every continent.
All of us here today share some basic beliefs. We believe that
growth and prosperity in Africa will contribute to the growth and
prosperity of the world. We believe that human suffering in Africa
creates moral responsibilities for people everywhere. We believe that
this can be a decade of unprecedented advancement for freedom and hope
and healing and peace across the African continent. That's what we
believe.
In eleven days I leave for Africa, and I will carry a message --
(applause.) And I will carry this message: The United States believes
in the great potential of Africa. (Applause.) We also understand the
problems of Africa. And this nation is fully engaged in a broad,
concerted effort to help Africans find peace, to fight disease, to
build prosperity, and to improve their own lives.
I want to thank Stephen for his invitation. And I want to thank
those involved with the Corporate Council on Africa. I appreciate so
very much Frank Fountain, the Chairman; Anita Henri, the Vice
President. I want to thank all the board members who are here. I want
to thank you and your -- if you're not a CEO, thank your CEOs of the
companies you represent for not only serving our nation by helping to
create jobs, but serving our nation by helping creating more
compassionate and hopeful countries in the continent of Africa.
I want to thank very much Ambassador Robert Perry, who is a Special
Advisor to the President on these matters. I want to thank the senior
African government officials here, but I particularly want to welcome
the African heads of state and the heads of government who are with us
today. It was my honor to have the traditional photo op. But besides
smiling for the cameras, I was smiling to see people who I had known
before, and I was so appreciative that you all took time to fly here to
our country. And our country extends a warm welcome, and we hope you
have a great stay.
I'm honored that President Chissano of Mozambique is here. After
all, he is the incoming President of the African Union. And I'm
pleased to see President Mogae of Botswana. The reason so is that he
has graciously extended me and my delegation an invitation to visit his
country, an invitation I have accepted. (Applause.) Botswana is a
stable democracy; was one of the strongest economies of all of Africa.
And I look forward to my trip. (Applause.)
I'll go to Senegal and see West Africa's longest-standing
democracy. (Applause.) A country with a vibrant civil society and a
growing independent media. I look forward to going to South Africa,
where I'll meet with elected leaders who are firmly committed to
economic reforms in a nation that has become a major force for regional
peace and stability. (Applause.) I'm looking forward to my trip to
Uganda -- (applause) -- where the government's visionary policies
have brought about the most dramatic decline in the rate of HIV
infection of any country in the world. (Applause.)
And finally, I'll be going to Nigeria -- (applause) -- a
multiethnic society that is consolidating civilian rule, is developing
its vast resources, and is helping its African neighbors keep the
peace. (Applause.)
My trip should signal that I am optimistic about the future of the
continent of Africa. After all, there's a generation of leaders who
now understand the power of economic liberty and the necessity for
global commerce. I also understand that freedom and prosperity are not
achieved overnight. Yet the 48 nations of Sub-Saharan Africa have an
historic opportunity to grow in trade, and to grow in freedom and
stability, and most importantly, to grow in hope. (Applause.)
On the path to freedom, and with the friendship of the United
States and other nations, Africa will rise, and Africa will prosper.
(Applause.)
This is a long-term commitment. And I know there are serious
obstacles to overcome. Introducing democracy is hard in any society.
It's much harder in a society torn by war, or held back by corruption.
The promise of free markets means little when millions are illiterate
and hungry, or dying from a preventable disease. It is Africans who
will overcome these problems. Yet the United States of America and
other nations will stand beside them. We will work as partners in
advancing the security and the health and the prosperity of the African
peoples. (Applause.)
The first great goal in our partnership with Africa is to help
establish peace and security across the continent. Many thousands of
African men and women and children are killed every year in regional
wars. These wars are often encouraged by regimes that give weapons and
refuge to rebel groups fighting in neighboring countries. The cycle of
attack and escalation is reckless, it is destructive, and it must be
ended. (Applause.)
In Congo, nine countries took part in a five-year war that brought
death to millions. Now the parties to the conflict are moving to form
a government of national unity, holding out the real possibility of
peace. President Mbeki of South Africa deserves credit for his efforts
to broker a peace agreement. (Applause.) All the Congo's neighbors
have officially withdrawn their forces. Now I urge these governments
to actively support the creation of an integrated national army and the
establishment by June 30th of a transitional government.
The United States is working with the Congo and its neighbors to
ensure the security and integrity of their borders. To encourage
progress across all of Africa, we must build peace at the heart of
Africa. (Applause.)
In Liberia, the United States strongly supports the cease-fire
signed earlier this month. President Taylor needs to step down --
(applause) -- so that his country can be spared further bloodshed.
All the parties in Liberia must pursue a comprehensive peace
agreement. And the United States is working with regional governments
to support those negotiations and to map out a secure transition to
elections. We are determined to help the people of Liberia find the
path to peace.
The United States is also pressing forward to help end Africa's
longest-running civil war in Sudan, which has claimed an estimated 2
million lives over 20 years. Progress over this past year, aided by
the leadership of Kenya, has brought us to the edge of peace.
(Applause.) Now the north and south must finalize a just and
comprehensive peace agreement, and the world must support it.
I've asked my Special Envoy for Peace in Sudan, former Senator John
Danforth, to return to the region in two weeks. He will make clear
that the only option on the table is peace. Both sides must now make
their final commitment to peace and human rights, and end the suffering
of Sudan. (Applause.)
The United States supports efforts by African governments to build
effective peacekeeping forces. America is providing resources and
logistical support to African Union peacekeeping forces in Burundi, and
ECOWAS forces in the Ivory Coast. During my visit to South Africa,
U.S. military forces will participate in a joint humanitarian and
disaster relief training exercise with South African defense forces.
Skilled and well-equipped peacekeeping forces are essential, because in
the long run, Africans will keep the peace in Africa. (Applause.)
The United States is also working with African nations to fight
terrorists wherever they are found. Africans from Casablanca to
Nairobi, to Dar es Salaam have experienced firsthand the pain and the
evil of terror. Kenya and other nations of Eastern Africa are
suffering under a particularly serious threat, and we're working
closely with those nations to end this threat.
Today I announced that the United States will devote a $100 million
over the next 15 months to help countries in the region increase their
own counter-terror efforts. (Applause.) We will work with Kenya and
Ethiopia and Djibouti and Uganda and Tanzania to improve capabilities,
such as air and seaport security, coastal and border patrols, computer
databases to track terrorists, intelligence-sharing, and the means
necessary to cut off terrorist financing.
Many African governments have the will to fight the war on terror,
and we are thankful for that will. We will give them the tool and the
resources to win the war on terror. (Applause.)
The second great goal of our partnership with Africa is to make the
advantages of health and literacy widely available across the
continent. And that work begins with the struggle against AIDS, which
already affects nearly 30 million Africans.
As former President Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia has said, "We have
conquered slavery, colonialism, and apartheid. We must now fight
HIV-AIDS, the most deadly enemy we have ever faced." (Applause.) And
he is right. And many others are fighting against this enemy. Yet my
message today, and my message when I go to the continent, is you are
not alone in the fight. (Applause.)
Under the law I signed last month, the United States Congress has
authorized $15 billion over the next five years to fight AIDS abroad.
(Applause.) That money will be used to support the Global AIDS Fund,
as well as specially focusing on 14 African and Caribbean countries
where the crisis is most severe. Overall, this expansion of America's
efforts will prevent seven million new HIV infections, treat at least
two million people with life-extending drugs and provide humane care
for 10 million HIV-infected individuals and AIDS orphans.
This is one of the largest public health projects in history.
America is proud to be a part of this cause, and we are absolutely
determined to see it through until we have turned the tide against AIDS
in Africa. (Applause.)
My administration is ready to start this vital work. Now the
Congress must appropriate the money it promised. (Applause.) In 2004,
this effort will require $2 billion, including $200 million for the
Global Fund for AIDS and Other Infectious Diseases. Having passed the
emergency fund for AIDS relief, Congress must now fully fund this
life-saving initiative. (Applause.)
The health of Africa also depends on the defeat of hunger. Forty
million Africans are now at risk of starvation. They face severe food
shortages, or lack of clean drinking water. This year the United
States will provide more than $800 million to address food emergencies
in Africa. I've also asked Congress to provide $200 million new
dollars for a Famine Fund, so that when the first signs of famine
appear we can move quickly and save lives.
Yet the problem of hunger requires more than emergency measures.
To help Africa become more self-sufficient in the production of food, I
have proposed the initiative to end hunger in Africa. This initiative
will help African countries to use new high-yield bio-tech crops and
unleash the power of markets to dramatically increase agricultural
productivity.
But there's a problem. There's a problem. At present, some
governments are blocking the import of crops grown with biotechnology,
which discourages African countries from producing and exporting these
crops. The ban of these countries is unfounded; it is unscientific; it
is undermining the agricultural future of Africa. And I urge them to
stop this ban. (Applause.)
Nigeria's former Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development
Hassan Adamu speaks for many in Africa. He speaks the truth. Here's
what he said: "To deny desperate, hungry people the means to control
their futures by presuming to know what is best for them is not only
paternalistic, it is morally wrong." (Applause.)
Africa's progress also depends on the education of Africa's
children. Forty-two million boys and girls across Sub-Sahara Africa
are not even enrolled in schools. If Africa is to meet its full
potential, these children must have the chance to study and learn. My
administration is committing $200 million over five years to train more
than 420,000 teachers in Africa, to provide scholarships for 250,000
-- (applause) -- to provide scholarship for 250,000 African girls,
and to partner -- (applause) -- and to partner with Historically
Black Colleges and Universities in America in bringing more than 4
million textbooks to African children. (Applause.)
Every country, every business, every private organization that
cares about this continent must unite to give Africa's children the
literacy and skills they need to build Africa's future. (Applause.)
The third great goal of our partnership with Africa is to help
African nations develop vibrant, free economies through aid and trade.
Wealthy nations have a responsibility to provide foreign aid. We have
an equal duty to make sure that aid is effective, by rewarding
countries that embrace reform and freedom. Too often in the past,
development assistance has been squandered or used to prop up corrupt
regimes. The world needs a new approach to foreign aid -- and
America is leading the way with the Millennium Challenge Account.
Under my proposal, money will go to developing nations whose
governments are committed to three broad strategies: First, they must
rule justly. Second, they must invest in the health and education of
their people. And third, they must have policies that encourage
economic freedom. To fund this account, I've proposed a 50-percent
increase in America's core development assistance over the next three
years. And I urge the United States Congress to give full support to
the Millennium Challenge Account. (Applause.)
Corrupt regimes that give nothing to their people deserve nothing
from us. (Applause.) Governments that serve their people deserve our
help, and we will provide that help.
Many African leaders are currently pledged to the path of political
and economic reform. That shared commitment is expressed in the
standards of NEPAD, the New Partnership for Africa's Development. Yet
those standards are mocked by some on the continent, such as the leader
of Zimbabwe, where the freedom and dignity of the nation is under
assault. I urge all nations, including the nations of Africa, to
encourage a return to democracy in Zimbabwe. (Applause.)
We can add to the prosperity of Africa through development
assistance that encourages your reform. Yet aid alone is not enough.
President Museveni of Uganda has put it well. "By itself," he says,
"aid cannot transform societies. Only trade can foster the sustained
economic growth necessary for such a transformation." (Applause.)
He's right. The powerful combination of trade and open markets is
history's proven method to defeat poverty on a large scale, to vastly
improve health and education, to build a modern infrastructure while
safeguarding the environment, and to spread the habits of liberty and
enterprise that lead to self government.
Trade is the great engine of economic progress, the great engine of
human progress. Yet Sub-Sahara Africa, with 11 percent of world's
population, has less than 2 percent of the world's trade. The peoples
of Africa have been left out long enough. The United States is
committed to making the transforming power of trade available to all
Africans.
Three years ago, Congress passed the African Growth and Opportunity
Act, which gave greater access to American markets for African
products. AGOA is proving the power of trade. Even with a weak global
economy, AGOA countries' duty-free exports to the United States in 2002
were $9 billion. That's a 10-percent increase from 2001. From
countries all across the continent of Africa, AGOA is helping to reform
old economies, creating new jobs, is attracting new investment; most
importantly, is offering hope to millions of Africans.
We must build on AGOA's success. Today, I call on the United
States Congress to extend AGOA beyond 2008. (Applause.) We must
extend AGOA beyond 2008 to give businesses the confidence to make
long-term investments in Africa. (Applause.) At America's urging, the
World Bank will provide more than $200 million over the next three
years to support loans to small businesses in 10 African countries.
(Applause.) These loans will give African entrepreneurs the capital
they need to achieve their dreams.
Here's what we believe in America -- and it's true elsewhere:
Ownership and independence are the hopes of men and women in every
land. (Applause.)
To expand commerce between America and Africa, we're working
towards a free trade agreement with the Southern African Customs
Union. And in the global trade negotiations, we are pushing to open
agricultural markets, reduce farm subsidies in wealthy nations, and to
create new opportunities for African farmers. (Applause.)
I also urge African nations to lower their own trade barriers
against each other's products. (Applause.) Just as America can do
more to open its markets, so can the nations of Africa. (Applause.)
Together we can ensure that all our citizens have access to the
opportunities of markets around the globe.
The measures I've outlined today -- actions on security, and
health, education, hunger, foreign aid, and global trade --
constitute a major focus of American foreign policy. America is
committed to the success of Africa because we recognize a moral duty to
bring hope where there is despair, and relief where there's suffering.
America is committed to the success of Africa because we understand
failed states spread instability and terror that threatens us all.
America is committed to the success of Africa because the peoples of
Africa have every right to live in freedom and dignity, and to share in
the progress of our times. (Applause.)
The responsibilities we have accepted in Africa are consistent with
the ideals that have always guided America and the world. Our nation
has more than a set of interests; I believe we have a calling. For a
century, America has acted to defend the peace, to liberate the
oppressed, and to offer all mankind the promise of freedom in a better
life. And today, as America fights the latest enemies of freedom, we
will strive to expand the realm of freedom for the benefit of all
nations.
The members of this council, with your energy and optimism, are
bringing new opportunities to millions. I want to thank you for your
efforts. I want to thank you for heart. I want to thank you for your
vision.
May God bless the people on the continent of Africa. And may God
continue to bless the United States of America. Thank you.
(Applause.)