THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. And thank you, Ambassador
Zoellick, for leading the United States delegation to this historic
gathering. And thanks to the other U.S. government officials,
including Sam Bodman, Andrew Natsios, and others, for attending this
forum.
I also thank you all for the honor of addressing this important
meeting. I'm disappointed I'm not able to join you in person. I still
look forward to visiting Africa later this year. I'm grateful to Prime
Minister Jugnauth for hosting this forum. And to all the ministers and
delegates and guests from our fellow AGOA nations, I extend the good
wishes of the American people.
All of us share a common vision for the future of Africa. We look
to the day when prosperity for Africa is built through trade and
markets. We see a continent at peace, where the people of Africa
obtain education and medical care, and live in freedom. And we're
making great progress, as shown by last month's free elections in
Kenya.
Yet fulfilling this vision is the work of many years. It will
require hard effort and true leadership and a rejection of some old
ways. And in this great work, you will always have a partner in the
United States.
Every nation that seeks peace faces a common enemy today in global
terror. The recent attacks in Mombasa remind us that Africa is on the
front lines of the war against terror. All our citizens know the awful
price of terror, and we will not rest until we have defeated terrorism
in all its forms.
In this struggle, my country is grateful for the crucial support
and friendship we have received from the nations of Africa. You've
stood with us against a deadly threat. And we will stand with you to
help bring an end to the terrible regional conflicts that bring so much
suffering to innocent Africans, from Congo, to Sudan, to the Ivory
Coast.
Safety from violence is the most basic condition of better lives
for the people of Africa. And now and in years to come, we will
continue working to expand trade between America and the African
continent. AGOA shows the power of trade to lift people out of
poverty. Exports from AGOA nations to the United States are rising
dramatically, and the benefits are felt throughout the region. From
Mauritius to Mali, AGOA is helping to reform old economies, creating
new incentives for good governance, and offering new hope for millions
of Africans.
America is committed to building on the great success of AGOA. One
important way we can do this is to give business the confidence to
invest in Africa, knowing the law's benefits will continue long into
the future. Therefore, I'm pleased to announce that I will ask the
United States Congress to extend AGOA beyond 2008.
My administration strongly supported the AGOA Two improvements,
which are now helping African companies to sharply increase exports to
the United States. As promised at the last AGOA meeting in Washington,
the United States has opened offices in Botswana and Kenya and Ghana to
ensure that African businesses can take advantage of new opportunities
to sell goods abroad. Entrepreneurs in Africa often face difficulty
complying with trade regulations and standards, and these offices are
there to provide help. To assist African farmers in selling abroad,
soon we will assign U.S. agriculture officials to each of these
regional offices.
America is also working toward a free trade agreement with the
Southern African Customs Union. Reaching that agreement involves
complex and costly negotiations. To speed up those negotiations, my
country will provide technical assistance to members of the Southern
African Customs Union.
Wider trade is essential to economic growth, but our work does not
end there. Many countries also need assistance to help spare their
peoples from the extremes of poverty and disease. We are sending one
million metric tons of food to help feed the 30 million people in
southern Africa and the Horn facing starvation -- and we are urging
other nations to join us in meeting this urgent need.
The United States will also continue to lead the world in providing
the resources to defeat HIV-AIDS. In addition, we have pledged to help
poor countries get access to the emergency life-saving drugs they need
to fight HIV-AIDS and other infectious epidemics. The AIDS pandemic
has caused extraordinary loss and suffering across your continent and
the world, and all governments have a moral obligation to confront it.
To help promote economic progress in Africa and elsewhere, the next
budget I submit to Congress will include a 50-percent increase in our
development assistance over the next three years. Money from our new
Millennium Challenge Account will be directed to nations that encourage
economic freedom, root out corruption, and respect the rights of their
people. Through the New Partnership for African Development, many
leaders across the continent have pledged their governments to these
fundamentals principles.
America has also created a special African Millennium Fund,
administered by our Overseas Private Investment Corporation. Through
this fund, we will support the construction of roads and bridges,
canals, and other basic infrastructure that help make economic growth
possible.
Africa's future depends, as well, on good teachers and schools, and
a chance for every child to study and learn. So America is devoting an
additional $200 million over five years to improve basic education and
teacher training in Africa. Thanks to the leadership of Andrew
Natsios, Administrator of our Agency of International Development, we
have also created the Books for a Better Tomorrow program. This
public-private effort will, in the weeks to come, deliver $30 million
worth of books and other school supplies to Africa.
For many years, America and the world looked to the continent of
Africa and saw only its problems. That era has passed. In this new
century, the world is beginning to see the great potential of Africa,
and the goodness of its people.
Many of you gathered this week in Mauritius have helped to bring
about this change. I share your confidence in Africa's future -- and
in Africa's new generation of leaders. I pledge to you the friendship
and support of the United States of America.