| Africa: Obama to highlight trade, Democracy in Africa visit | | | Washington: President Obama's second visit to sub-Saharan Africa will take him to Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania June 26-July 3, where he will encourage greater U.S. trade and investment links with the continent, as well as the strengthening of African democratic institutions.
Speaking in a June 23 conference call, Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes said Africa is "one of the most important emerging regions of the world," and a place of "extraordinary potential."
"When we look back 20 years from now, 30 years from now, we'll see this potentially as a pivotal moment when Africa took off in terms of economic growth."
Joining Rhodes on the call were White House Senior Director for African Affairs Grant Harris and White House Senior Director for Development and Democracy Gayle Smith.
"It's critical to Africa's economic growth, because where you have clear rules of the road and efforts to combat corruption, businesses will invest, and jobs will be created, and growth will take off," he said.
During Obama's stay in Senegal, he is expected to visit Goree Island and its museum, which serve as a monument and memorial to millions of Africans who were enslaved and transported to the Western Hemisphere from the 16th through the 19th centuries. Rhodes said Obama also plans to attend a food security event in the country that will show technologies being used to improve the ability of African agricultural sectors to meet the needs of their people.
Rhodes said that at the University of Cape Town, Obama will "lay out a vision for U.S.-African relations going forward" by making "his main framing speech of the trip about our Africa policy, focusing on these different areas of trade and investment, development, democracy, partnerships on behalf of peace and security." |
|
