#News: The US-Africa Leaders Summit opens in Washington President Obama is hosting a US-Africa Summit of more than 40 African leaders in Washington this week (August 4-6). The Summit formally opens today, Tuesday (August 5) and President Obama will host a dinner in the White House this evening and take part in a series of meetings on Wednesday. The focus of much of the discussion will be on increasing United States investment in Africa and promoting peace and stability on the continent. The White House has already announced it will be starting new programs and increasing assistance aimed at promoting gender equality in Africa. US officials have been quoted as saying that nearly US$1 billion in business deals and increased funding for peacekeeping will be announced, and billions of dollars will be committed to expand food and power programs. Rajiv Shah of USAID said there would be a series of announcements on agriculture and food, and power and energy, with increased support for Power Africa. US officials also said there would be significant increases in private sector support for U.S.-backed food and agricultural programs in Africa, including the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition. Meetings on Monday included a Forum on Supporting Civil Society, addressed by US Vice President Joseph Biden, who told African leaders that “it is not possible to succeed for your people unless they have a chance to shape the policies of their government, identify problems and root out injustices and find ways for groups to resolve their differences peacefully. US Secretary of State, John Kerry told the African Heads of State and Government that “large majorities of Africans support free, accessible and fair elections and limiting their presidents to two terms in office.” Ethiopian Foreign Minister, Dr. Tedros Adhanom, and US Secretary of Health and Human Service, Sylvia Burwell co-chaired a Forum on “Investing in Health in Africas Future.” African trade officials are also meeting with American officials to discuss the African Growth and Opportunity Act. The program, known as AGOA, lowers the tariffs on certain African goods imported to the United States, while countries in Africa are not obligated to lower the duties on any United States goods. It has been credited with helping to diversify and improve other sectors of the African economy, but oil still accounts for three-quarters of the African goods imported by the United States duty free. The program requires reauthorization by Congress next year. mfa.gov.et/news/more.php?newsid=3360
Posted on: Tue, 05 Aug 2014 12:44:24 +0000