AMIP News

U.S. Asst. Secretary Johnnie Carson to Lead Energy Trade Mission to Africa

2012-02-02T21:27:00.006-05:00

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesperson
February 2, 2012

Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson will lead an Energy Trade Mission to Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya, Nigeria, and Ghana February 6-17. The delegation of U.S. government and private-sector executives will meet host country senior government officials to discuss challenges for U.S. private-sector investment in energy infrastructure projects. Delegates from the American business community will represent firms in a position to advance large-scale, on-grid generation and fuel supply projects. Discussions are to include specific constraints to attract private-sector investment in the power generation and fuel supply sectors.

The mission will underscore economic development as a path towards sustained prosperity and peace and highlight the U.S. initiatives in the region, such as the Partnership for Growth Initiative and the Millennium Challenge Corporation programs. Additionally, the mission provides an opportunity for U.S. power developers and fuel suppliers to promote new energy infrastructure projects. The U.S. government is committed to assist and facilitate trade and investment through its existing programs and advocacy both in the United States and through its embassies abroad.

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Deputy Secretary Burns Completes Week-Long Trip to Africa

2012-01-30T20:50:00.001-05:00

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesperson

January 30, 2012

Deputy Secretary of State Bill Burns wrapped up his week-long visit to Africa today in Ethiopia. As head of the U.S. delegation to the African Union Summit, he met yesterday and today with a number of leaders in Addis Ababa, including UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, South Sudanese President Kiir, Sudanese Foreign Minister Karti, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles, Libyan Prime Minister al-Keeb, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang, and Kenyan Foreign Minister Wetangula. Over the weekend, the Deputy Secretary was in Uganda, where he met with Ugandan President Museveni and visited a public-private partnership at Wagagai, one of more than a hundred clinics that the United States supports in Uganda to provide preventive care and comprehensive maternal and child health services. He also traveled on January 28 to South Sudan, where he met with a number of senior officials including Vice President Machar.

Throughout his meetings at the African Union, as well as in Ghana, Uganda, and South Sudan, the Deputy Secretary highlighted our ongoing commitment to work with African partners to support gains in democratic governance, sustainable development, economic growth, and the peaceful resolution of conflict. His discussions also covered a range of security, political and humanitarian challenges facing the continent. The Deputy Secretary expressed deep concern regarding the Government of Sudan’s continued denial of humanitarian access to Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile, and also underscored the need for Sudan and South Sudan to quickly reach agreement on oil and related financial issues. Various leaders he met with expressed concern about the growing threat posed to Nigeria and the region by Boko Haram. The Deputy Secretary stressed that the United States will continue to support the Government of Nigeria on this and other challenges facing the country. On Somalia, the Deputy Secretary noted U.S. support for the work of the African Union Mission in Somalia and the need for the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) to make steady and sustained progress on the Roadmap in advance of the end of the TFG’s mandate in August. The Deputy Secretary highlighted ongoing U.S. collaboration and partnership with the African Union on a broad range of issues, and assured leaders of the U.S. commitment to continue to assist the African Union in augmenting its capacity to address the many opportunities and challenges facing the continent.

In Ghana, Uganda, and Ethiopia, The Deputy Secretary took the time to engage with a cross section of young leaders, entrepreneurs, and civil society activists engaged in every sector of society. The Deputy Secretary’s visit, coming on the heels of the Secretary’s visit to West Africa last week, reaffirms the high priority that the Obama Administration attaches to Africa, and the special emphasis the United States has placed on engaging the continent’s next generation of leaders.

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New African Union Headquarters Unveiled In Addis Ababa

2012-01-30T13:57:00.001-05:00

Bronze Statue of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah Unveiled At New AU Headquaters

2012-01-30T13:46:00.002-05:00

Left to Right) Pres. Rawlings, Samia Nkrumah, Pres. Mills, Prof. Nkrumah, Hon. Muhammad Mumuni

January 28, 2012
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

The President of Ghana, John Evans Atta Mills on Saturday unveiled the statue of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first President at the forecourt of the new African Union (AU) building in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He was assisted by President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, out-going Chairman of the AU, and Dr. Jean Ping, Chairman of the African Union Commission. The unveiling was done moments after the building was inaugurated. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Bill Burns lead a high-level Government delegation to the 18th African Union (AU) Summit.

Cast in bronze, the 3. 5 metre statue of Dr. Nkrumah who was overthrown in a coup in 1966 depicts the late leader wearing a short sleeve shirt in an African design with a pair of trousers and shoes to match. The first president of Ghana had raised his right hand with a short walking stick in the left hand, with the head raised and looking into the heavens. Underneath the statue is the inscription: “Ethiopia shall stretch forth her hands unto God, Africa must unite,” a statement on the founding of the predecessor of the AU, the Organization of African Unity in May 1963. The unveiling of the statue was in recognition of the leaders of the 54-nation continental body of the leading role of Dr. Nkrumah in the African liberation struggle.

President Mills was the Guest of Honor at the ceremony, which was performed in the presence of a number of African leaders attending the 18th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the AU. The ceremony was also attended by Professor Francis Nkrumah, a medical biologist and Madam Samia Nkrumah, Chairperson of the Convention Peoples Party (CPP), children of Dr. Nkrumah, who were invited by President Mills to the ceremony. Also in attendance were former President Jerry John Rawlings, Mr. Alan Kyerematen of the largest minority New Patriotic Party, Mrs. Mary Chinery-Hesse, former Special Advisor to former President John Agyekum Kufuor, Dr. Don Arthur of the Office of the President, and Mr. Kwesi Quartey, Ghana’s Ambassador to Ethiopia.

Dr. Nkrumah was a founding member of the Organization of African Unity, now the AU, as well as the Pan Africanist Movement. The brain behind the statue is Dr. Don Arthur, an architect and a sculptor. Work was done on it by Mamphey Developers in Accra, when the Government of Ghana insisted to the AU for the statue to be done in Ghana.

Shedding tears of joy, Prof. Nkrumah told the Ghana News Agency that the unveiling of the statue was a significant honor to the memory of his father and his family. He described the moment as historic, and said the family was very proud of the recognition given to their father, and proud of being a Ghanaian. Samia, who said the representation of the family at the ceremony was fair, expressed happiness about the event, describing it as a restoration of the previous recognition given to Dr. Nkrumah. She however called for Africa’s emancipation to go beyond politics to the economic, stressing more on intra African trade from the current 10 per cent.

Mr. Kyerematen, described the event as historical and very symbolic and called for the review of the notes by people who do not acknowledge Nkrumah as a great African. He said Nkrumah inspires vision and hope for Ghana and called for more commitment to the national cause as a people with one destiny. Mrs. Chinery-Hesse said the statue of Nkrumah was a symbolic continuation of the journey to free Africa. She said the lesson that could be learned was for hard work, which would be recognized at the right time. Dr. Don Arthur said the greatness of Nkrumah has led to the celebration, not only for himself, but also to Ghana, Africa and the rest of the world.

In 2009, African leaders accepted the proposal of President Mills to declare September 21, the birthday of Nkrumah as Founders Day.

Story by AMIP News & Ghana News Agency

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Ghanaian Statesman,Nduom, Speaks About Democracy & U.S. – Ghana Relations

2012-01-26T18:38:00.001-05:00

By Frederick Nnoma-Addison
January 25, 2012

Washington, DC – Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom has raised the bar for democracy in Ghana by challenging Ghanaians to “aspire for an American or European standard of democracy instead of an African standard.” Speaking from his Washington, DC office, the influential statesman, politician & entrepreneur who has a very competitive resume from the United said that he expects more from Ghanaians and will not settle for mediocrity even as the nation prepares for presidential and parliamentary elections in December this year. “This year’s elections will be keenly contested; it will set new standards, test our democratic resolve and be another defining moment in our history, and I urge all Ghanaians to demand high standards from government officials and each other.”

As the 2006 Minister of State and primary technical expert who helped Ghana secure and appropriate a $547 million grant from the Millennium Challenge Corporation in the United States, he stressed the importance of Ghana-U.S. relations and said that both Ghana and the United States need to review their bilateral relations and determine the direction of the new phase, in view of new players like China. “Our formal, intergovernmental relationship needs greater understanding. I think that America must redefine its friendship with Ghana since Ghana is of strategic importance to the United States…On an individual basis U.S.-Ghana relations is thriving, Ghanaians are as much a part of American society as are Americans. The relations that individuals have in either country must end up opening doors for individuals and communities both in America and Ghana, like it did for me personally when I first came to the United States on an American Field Service (AFS) year-long scholarship in the 70’s, prior to my secondary school education in Ghana.”

Papa Kwesi Nduom was born in Elmina, Central Region of Ghana. He attended St. Augustine’s College (secondary school) in Ghana and returned to the United States for a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics (1975), a Master’s degree in Management (1977) and a Ph.D (Service Delivery Systems) in 1982, all from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He started work as a life insurance underwriter with the North Western Mutual Life Insurance Company between 1975 and 1978. The following year he worked with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Wisconsin. In 1979, he joined the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District as a Budget and Management Analyst and then joined Deloitte and Touche as an associate consultant in 1981, rising to become a partner in the Milwaukee office of the firm by 1986 before being transferred to Washington, DC. Nduom eventually returned to Ghana via a consulting assignment with the Ashanti Gold Company. In 1992, he helped establish Deloitte & Touche, Ghana and consequently in West Africa and retired as the board chairman for the Africa region.

During President Kufuor’s administration (2001-2009) Dr. Nduom served as Energy and Public Sector Reform minister between 2001 and 2007 and oversaw Ghana’s contract with Kosmos Energy, a U.S. oil and gas exploration firm at the helm of oil drilling in Ghana. In 2008, he was nominated to become the Convention People’s Party’s (CPP) nominee for the presidential election. Asked why he continues to pursue political ambitions when he got an insignificant percentage of votes during the 2008 presidential elections, he explained that public service still remains one of the best platforms to make a positive impact in the lives of millions of people.

“I don’t have to organize a political party at this time but I chose to do so because it has merits for Ghana and our democratic process. Despite my commitments to my expansive business enterprises I will still devote time and resources to help promote our multi party democracy and our nation.”

Today, through a consortium of private business enterprises, he provides gainful employment for at least 2000 Ghanaians among several other opportunities and continues to be an advocate for a prosperous and developing Ghana, worth living in. “My ultimate goal is to help establish an entrepreneurial culture in Ghana and my companies in all 10 regions of the country is the evidence.”

After failing to clinch the CPP flag bearership at the beginning of this year, Dr. Nduom broke away from the party he had significantly contributed to and help establish, and founded the newest political party in Ghana, the Progressive People’s Party (PPP) to continue making an impact politically. Nduom is married to Mrs. Yvonne Nduom, a management specialist and graduate of the Cape Coast University in Ghana and the University of Wisconsin. Together they have four children.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Bill Burns to Lead Delegation to Africa

2012-01-24T13:12:00.001-05:00

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesperson
January 24, 2012

Deputy Secretary of State Bill Burns will lead a high-level United States Government delegation to Africa from January 26-30. In Ethiopia, Deputy Secretary Burns will attend the 18th African Union (AU) Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on January 29 and 30. The Deputy Secretary will also meet with Prime Minister Meles and other senior officials to emphasize the strategic importance of that country to countering violent extremism in the greater Horn of Africa region. Deputy Secretary Burns will meet with several regional and international leaders on the margins of the AU summit.

Prior to the summit, the delegation will travel to Ghana, Uganda, and South Sudan. In Ghana, Deputy Secretary Burns is scheduled to meet with President Mills to reinforce the U.S. commitment to building strong ties with one of Africa’s leading democracies. The visit will highlight the United States’ continued commitment to presidential initiatives such as the Partnership for Growth and the Millennium Challenge Corporation. Deputy Secretary Burns will also meet with alumni of U.S. exchange programs.

In South Sudan, the Deputy Secretary will meet with Vice President Machar and other senior officials to encourage expeditious resolution to outstanding post-Comprehensive Peace Agreement issues. Deputy Secretary Burns will also encourage the Government of South Sudan’s efforts to promote reconciliation and break the cycle of inter-ethnic violence.
In Uganda, Deputy Secretary Burns’ discussions with President Museveni and members of Uganda’s civil society will highlight the strength of the bilateral partnership on a range of issues, including regional security and on helping Uganda strengthen its commitment to good governance and respect for human rights. Deputy Secretary Burns will also visit a medical clinic that is advancing integrated health service delivery, a key part of the U.S. Global Health Initiative.

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U.S. & Nigeria Revisit Binational Commission Agreement Signed In 2010

2012-01-22T09:11:00.001-05:00

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesperson
January 20, 2012

United States to Engage with Nigeria on Regional Security

A U.S. delegation co-chaired by Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs William Fitzgerald and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Defense Joseph McMillan will meet with Nigerian government officials January 23-24 to discuss regional security cooperation.

The meeting marks the sixth working group meeting of the U.S.-Nigeria Binational Commission convened to advance shared objectives since its initiation in April 2010. The working group is expected to discuss areas of cooperation for addressing the professionalization of security responses to extremism, political responses to security threats, and the role of development in improving security.

On April 6, 2010 U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Nigerian Secretary to the Government of the Federation Yayale Ahmed inaugurated the U.S.-Nigeria Bi-National Commission, a strategic dialogue designed to expand mutual cooperation across a broad range of shared interests.

The agreement was signed in the Treaty Room of the U.S. Department of State and witnessed by U.S. and Nigerian government officials. It represents the highest point in bilateral relations between the two countries in decades. The four main components of the agreement are: Good Governance, Transparency and Integrity; Energy and Investment; Food Security and Agriculture and Niger Delta and Regional Security Cooperation.

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African Teachers Participate In This Year’s International Leaders In Education Program (ILEP)

2012-01-19T19:37:00.001-05:00

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesperson
January 18, 2012
Washington, DC – U.S. Department of State Welcomes Teachers on International Leaders in Education Program for Study in Alabama, Ohio, South Carolina and Virginia

The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs welcomes 63 secondary school teachers from 15 countries to the United States for the International Leaders in Education Program (ILEP) that began on January 9, 2012. Experienced teachers from Bangladesh, Brazil, Egypt, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Lebanon, Malaysia, Morocco, Peru, Philippines, Senegal, South Africa and Uganda are studying in groups for the next four months in specialized programs at Clemson University, South Carolina; James Madison University, Virginia; Kent State University, Ohio; and the University of Alabama at Huntsville.

Launched in 2007 by the Department of State with 65 countries, ILEP has provided over 300 secondary school teachers of English, math, science, and social studies from around the world with professional development at U.S. graduate schools of education. The teachers also participate in U.S. cultural programs, community service, and volunteer projects along with approximately 90 hours of field experience in local secondary schools. The program is administered by the cooperating agency the International Research and Exchange Board.

The participating teachers help U.S. host school communities expand their understanding of the world by developing and delivering joint lessons with U.S. partner teachers, making presentations about their home countries to students, teachers, and members of the host communities, and creating new friendships. At the same time, the international teachers gain first-hand knowledge of the United States to share with students and fellow teachers in their home countries around the world.

The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs promotes international mutual understanding through a wide range of academic, cultural, private-sector, professional and sports exchange programs. These international exchanges engage youth, students, educators, artists, athletes and emerging leaders in many fields in the United States and in more than 160 countries. Alumni of ECA exchanges comprise over one million people around the world, including more than 50 Nobel Laureates and more than 350 current or former heads of state and government.

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Latest African Ambassadors to the U.S. Present Credentials at the White House

2012-01-19T19:35:00.001-05:00

Wednesday January 18, 2012
The White House, Washington, DC

President Obama today received credentials from fourteen Ambassadors including four from Africa during a Credentialing Ceremony in the Oval Office. The presentation of credentials is a traditional ceremony that marks the formal beginning of an Ambassador’s service in Washington. DC.

The African Ambassadors are:

- Ambassador Eliachim Molapi Sebatane, Kingdom of Lesotho
- Ambassador Maman Sambo Sidikou, Republic of Niger
- Ambassador Mohamed Rachad Bouhlal, Kingdom of Morocco
- Ambassador Al Maamoun Baba Lamine Keita, Republic of Mali

U.S. Presidential Delegation Attends Inauguration of Liberia’s President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

2012-01-17T14:37:00.002-05:00

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has concluded an official visit to Liberia during which she attended the inauguration of President Johnson Sirleaf’s second term and inaugurated a new U.S. Embassy Chancery in Monrovia the capital city. On January 13, 2012, President Barack Obama announced the designation of a Presidential Delegation to Monrovia, Liberia to attend the inauguration of Her Excellency Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of the Republic of Liberia, on January 16, 2012. The Honorable Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State, led the delegation.

Members of the delegation included:

- The Honorable Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Liberia
- The Honorable Christopher A. Coons, Senator (D-DE), U.S. Senate
- The Honorable Johnnie Carson, Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of African Affairs, U.S. Department of State
- The Honorable Melanne Verveer, Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues, U.S. Department of State
- The Honorable Donald Steinberg, Deputy Administrator, U.S. Agency for International Development
- The Honorable Carrie Hessler-Radelet, Deputy Director, Peace Corps
- General Carter F. Ham, Commander, U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), U.S. Army
- Mr. Grant T. Harris, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for African Affairs, National Security Council

The 2011 Liberian general election was held on 11 October 2011, with a presidential runoff election held on 8 November 2011. The presidency, as well as all seats in the House of Representatives and half of the seats in the Senate, were up for election. The election was overseen by the National Elections Commission (NEC).
The results of the legislative elections and first-round presidential election were released on 25 October 2011. In the legislative elections, the Unity Party maintained its plurality in both the House and the Senate, but as in the previous election, no party secured a majority in either chamber. Incumbent retention was low; only two of the fourteen incumbent senators seeking to retain their seats won reelection, while only twenty-five of the fifty-nine House incumbents running were reelected.

In the first round of the presidential election, incumbent President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of the Unity Party led the presidential field with 43.9% of the vote, followed by Congress for Democratic Change candidate Winston Tubman with 32.7%. As no candidate received an absolute majority, Sirleaf and Tubman stood in a run-off election held on 8 November 2011. Tubman alleged that the first round had been rigged in Sirleaf’s favor and called on his supporters to boycott the run-off, resulting in a turnout of 38% as compared to the 71.8% turnout in the first round. The NEC declared Sirleaf the winner of the run-off on 15 November 2011 with 90.7% of the vote.

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Dr. Nkrumah, Dr. King Jr. And The Global Struggle For Freedom

2012-01-16T15:37:00.002-05:00

Dr. Kwame Nkrumah & Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. During Ghana’s Independence – 1957

January 16, 2012 – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
By AMIP News & Stanford University

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is a United States federal holiday marking the birthday of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It is observed on the third Monday of January each year, which is around the time of King’s birthday, January 15. King was the chief spokesman for nonviolent activism in the civil rights movement, which successfully protested racial discrimination in federal and state law. The campaign for a federal holiday in King’s honor began soon after his assassination in 1968. President Ronald Reagan signed the holiday into law in 1983, and it was first observed on January 20, 1986. At first, some states resisted observing the holiday as such, giving it alternative names or combining it with other holidays. It was officially observed in all 50 states for the first time in 2000.

The first African-born Prime Minister of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah was a prominent Pan-African organizer whose radical vision and bold leadership helped lead Ghana to independence in 1957. Nkrumah served as an inspiration to Martin Luther King, who often looked to Nkrumah’s leadership as an example of nonviolent activism. The evolution of Nkrumah’s power in Ghana, however, complicated relations between the two men. Just days after King’s assassination, Nkrumah allegedly expressed disagreement with King’s views on nonviolence.

Nkrumah was born on 21 September 1909, in the British colony of Nkroful, on the Gold Coast. Although raised in a small fishing village, Nkrumah was educated in the United States. He received both his Bachelor of Arts (1939) and Bachelor of Theology (1942) from Lincoln University and continued his education at the University of Pennsylvania, where he received a Masters of Philosophy and a Masters of Education (1942, 1943). While in college, Nkrumah became increasingly active in the Pan-African movement, the African Students Association of America, and the West African Students’ Union. In 1945 Nkrumah played a central role in organizing the Fifth Pan-Africanist Congress.

In 1947 Nkrumah’s activism attracted the attention of Ghanaian politician J. B. Danquah, who hired Nkrumah to serve as general secretary of the United Gold Coast Convention, an organization pursuing independence for the British colony. However, ideological differences between the two men led Nkrumah to found his own party, the Convention People’s Party (CPP), in 1949. Nkrumah and the CPP sought self-government through the nonviolent strategy of ‘‘positive action.’’ Much like King’s nonviolent strategies, positive action employed the tactics of protest and strike against colonial administration. In 1951 Nkrumah and the CPP received a decisive majority of votes in Ghana’s first general elections, and on 22 March 1952, Nkrumah became the first prime minister of the Gold Coast. It would be five more years before full independence was realized, and the Gold Coast became the self-governed nation of Ghana.

Martin and Coretta King attended Ghana’s independence ceremony on 6 March 1957, at the invitation of Nkrumah. King was impressed by Nkrumah’s leadership and keenly aware of the parallels between Ghanaian independence and the American civil rights movement. While in Ghana, the Kings shared a private meal with Nkrumah, discussing nonviolence and Nkrumah’s impressions of the United States. After returning to the United States, King explained the lessons of Nkrumah and the Ghanaian struggle in a series of speeches and sermons. In a 24 April speech, King related a message from Nkrumah and his finance minister: ‘”‘Our sympathies are with America and its allies. But we will make it clear through the United Nations and other diplomatic channels that beautiful words and extensive hand outs cannot be substitutes for the simple responsibility of treating our colored brothers in America as first-class human beings.’ So if we are to be a first-class nation, we cannot have second-class citizens’’.

King lauded Nkrumah’s leadership through nonviolent positive action. Both men were inspired by the life and teachings of Gandhi. In a sermon entitled, ‘‘The Birth of a New Nation,’’ King said of Ghana’s newfound independence, ‘‘It reminds us of the fact that a nation or a people can break a loose from oppression without violence’’.

As early as 1962 Prime Minister Nkrumah faced the challenges of nation building in the legacy of colonialism. Mounting economic troubles led to increased discontentment with Nkrumah, and Ashanti nationalism further threatened his presidency. King struggled to understand the growing criticism of Nkrumah’s leadership, stating: ‘‘I’m sure President Nkrumah has made some mistakes. On the other hand I think we would have to see the problems that he has confronted. It is not an easy thing to lift a nation from a tribal tradition into a democracy first without having problems’’ (King, 19 July 1962). In 1966 Nkrumah was removed from power in a coup led by the Ghanaian military and police forces.

In response to King’s assassination in 1968, Nkrumah wrote: ‘‘Even though I don’t agree with King on some of his non-violence views, I mourn for him. The final solution of all this will come when Africa is politically united. Yesterday it was Malcolm X. Today Luther King. Tomorrow, fire all over the United States’’ (Nkrumah). Nkrumah died from illness in April 1972 while in exile in Conakry, Guinea.

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Oprah Winfrey Girls Leadership Academy in South Africa Celebrates 1st Graduation

2012-01-15T14:51:00.002-05:00

Photo Credit, Benny Gool/ Harpo

Saturday 14 January 2012, Henley-on-Klip, South Africa — Television icon and business leader Oprah Winfrey celebrated the first graduating class of The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa today. One hundred percent of the graduates have been accepted to college or university, including top schools in the United States and South Africa. More than a dozen have received full scholarships.

Winfrey arrived in South Africa earlier this week for the graduation ceremony at the school in Henley-on-Klip, south of Johannesburg, to create what she described as a “final lasting moment” for the 72 girls who achieved a 100% pass rate in last year’s Senior National Certificate examinations and produced 188 matriculation distinctions between them.

“The pride that I feel today is overpowering,” Winfrey told her guests, who included the students, their parents and relatives. “I have been on a mission my whole life to be able to give back what I have been given. Today I am fulfilling that mission. This class will prove that when you invest in the leadership of girls, you invest in a nation.”

Winfrey also used the opportunity to thank Nelson Mandela, who served as an inspiration in establishing the academy. “I want to thank Nelson Mandela for his leadership and support to help make this school a reality. Although he is not present with us today, I know he shares with us the same sense of pride and accomplishment,” said Winfrey.

Winfrey concluded by noting how she has been enhanced as a person through her time spent with the girls. “They have grown. We have grown as a school. Today we offer the world new scholars, girls who now can face any challenge as they move on to the next chapter in their academic and life journey. The future leaders of South Africa. The future leaders of the world.”

Present at the ceremony was Nelson Mandela’s wife, Graca Machel, who gave the keynote address and serves on the board of directors of the academy. A pioneer and leader on women’s issues in her own right, Machel, who has a post graduate scholarship for African women named in her honour to train women in areas of health and education, emphasized the importance of women’s leadership in ensuring Africa’s prosperity.

Also among the guests at the ceremony was South Africa’s Minister of Basic Education, Ms. Angie Motsekga.

Two of the girls were honored with special awards. Bongeka Zuma, from Nkwezela in Kwa Zulu Natal, achieved six distinctions. She is considering to study political sciences at Spelman University in United States of America and received the Dux award for academic excellence. The award is determined by the scores of the four compulsory subjects (English, First Additional Language, Mathematics and Life Orientation), and then adding the scores of the three remaining subjects.

Between grades 9 and 11, Zuma received academic honours and has been a top achiever in mathematics and IsiZulu. She notes one of her proudest achievements as growing from being a shy girl in Grade 8 to being elected deputy chair in Grade 12.

The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Award, voted for by peers and teachers, was given to Marwiya James. James scored distinctions in Afrikaans, Accounting, Life Orientation, Business Studies and Visual Arts. She now plans to return to her native province of the Western Cape, where she hails from Mitchell’s Plain, to study at the University of Cape Town to become a chartered accountant.

James, who describes her entrepreneur and community worker father as a role model, has been a recipient of service and leadership awards and was President of the Learner Representative Council during her time at the academy.

Source: The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls

Log on to http://www.owla.co.za/ for more information on the school.

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Secretary Clinton to Travel to Liberia, Cote d’Ivoire, Togo and Cape Verde

2012-01-14T20:41:00.000-05:00

U.S. Department of State
Office of the Spokesperson
Jnauary 13, 2012

Secretary Clinton will travel to Liberia, Cote d’Ivoire, Togo and Cape Verde on January 16 – 17, 2012 to demonstrate U.S. commitment to post-conflict return to peace, good governance and economic development as well as to emphasize U.S. focus on democratization.

While in Liberia, Secretary Clinton will attend President Sirleaf’s inauguration and preside over the ribbon cutting of the New U.S. Embassy Compound in Monrovia. In Cote d’Ivoire, she will meet with President Ouattara to showcase our support for national reconciliation and strengthening democratic institutions following successful legislative elections in December 2011. In the first visit of a Secretary of State to Togo, Secretary Clinton will meet President Faure to demonstrate U.S. support for Togo’s democratic progress and economic reforms and to congratulate Togo on its recent election to the United Nations Security Council, where it holds a non-permanent seat for 2012 and 2013. In Cape Verde, Secretary Clinton will meet Prime Minister Neves to discuss cooperation on regional issues like counter-narcotics, good governance, sound economic policies, and Cape Verde’s second Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Compact.

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U.S. Presidential Delegation to attend Inauguration of Liberia’s President Johnson Sirleaf

2012-01-14T20:38:00.001-05:00

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
January 13, 2012

President Barack Obama announced the designation of a Presidential Delegation to Monrovia, Liberia to attend the inauguration of Her Excellency Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of the Republic of Liberia, on January 16, 2012. The Honorable Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State, will lead the delegation.

Members of the delegation are:

The results of the legislative elections and first-round presidential election were released on 25 October 2011. In the legislative elections, the Unity Party maintained its plurality in both the House and the Senate, but as in the previous election, no party secured a majority in either chamber. Incumbent retention was low; only two of the fourteen incumbent senators seeking to retain their seats won reelection, while only twenty-five of the fifty-nine House incumbents running were reelected.

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Remarks By Secretary Clinton and Algerian Foreign Minister Mourad Medelci

2012-01-12T18:05:00.001-05:00

2011 End of Year Marine Ball – Abuja, Nigeria

2012-01-12T13:53:00.001-05:00

Source: U.S. Embassy Abuja, Nigeria

On Saturday, November 12, in a ceremony steeped in over two centuries of tradition, the Marine Security Guard Detachment of the US Consulate General in Lagos celebrated the 236th anniversary of the United States Marine Corps with American, Nigerian and ex-patriot friends and colleagues. Since its establishment on November 10, 1775, United States Marines have honored the “Birthday” of the Marine Corps on or around November 10th every year, in times of war and of peace, in periods of prosperity and of challenge, wherever they are serving at that moment, in every corner of the globe.

In the stately ballroom of the Lagos Civic Center, the Lagos Marine Security Guard Detachment gave guests in attendance a glimpse into the storied world of the US Marine Corps. From the marching in of the “Colors” (the American flag) to the lighting of the Candle for Fallen Comrades, a sense of pride in the Corps radiated from every American in the room for what Ambassador Terence McCulley in his remarks referred to as “the martial traditions of our Marines.” Consul General Joseph Stafford displayed similar pride during his remarks, fondly remembering, with equal measures of humor and humility, several Marine Balls he had attended over the course of his career.

During one of the more unique Marine Ball customs, the cake cutting ceremony, Detachment Commander, Gunnery Sergeant Michael Rheault, cut a cake with his ceremonial sword, passing the first piece of cake to the Ambassador. The second piece of cake was then handed to the oldest Marine present, James D. Coats, Colonel, United States Marine Corps Retired, who took a bite of the cake before handing it to the youngest Marine present, Corporal Alexander Nichols, symbolizing the handing down of tradition from the older generation of Marines to the younger.

An evening of dinner and dancing followed, and for a few enjoyable hours, the assembled guests were able to devote themselves exclusively to celebrating our Marines. Happy Birthday, USMC!

USAID Africa Health Status Update

2012-01-12T13:48:00.001-05:00

Child mortality in Africa has dropped by nearly a third over the last 20 years. The number of people newly infected with HIV infections is decreasing, in large part due to improvements in knowledge and preventative practices. In the last decade, 10 African countries, including Rwanda, South Africa, and Zambia, have more than halved the number of cases and deaths from malaria.
But even as life-saving technologies are introduced and disseminated throughout Africa, Africans continue to succumb to diseases and experience malnutrition at unacceptably high rates. More than 22 million people are infected with HIV/AIDS, most of them women. Tuberculosis, malaria, and other infectious diseases continue to spread through families and communities despite the existence of low-cost treatment and prevention measures. Poor nutrition and inadequate access to clean water increase the risk of disease and death, especially for children who are most vulnerable. Women die in childbirth at an alarming rate and have trouble accessing family planning, and pre- and post-natal services.

With support from the U.S. Government’s Global Health Initiative, African countries are making their health systems more effective and efficient. U.S. assistance places a strong emphasis on integrating service delivery systems and improving the education and training of health providers. USAID programs improve the physical infrastructure of facilities, help to build health information systems, and train the national managers and leaders who are so critical in assuring the long-term viability of the health sector.
As a result of the U.S. commitment to health in Africa, more children are living to see their first birthday, fewer people are dying from curable diseases like malaria and tuberculosis, and more communities have access to safe drinking water.

• Malaria is a major cause of child deaths in Africa, and of the seven President’s Malaria Initiative focus countries in Africa (Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, and Zambia) where data is available, death rates among children under five years have dropped between 23 and 36 percent. Since 2006 in these countries, the number of people protected by indoor spraying to kill mosquitoes increased from less than 3 million to more than 27 million. During the same period, the percentage of families owning at least one insecticide-treated bed net increased from less than 10 percent to greater than 50 percent.

• Child immunization rates in Africa have been sustained at over 70 percent since 2008. USAID has been a leader in promoting the “Reach Every District” approach to strengthen local planning while also helping to develop innovative financing systems to make vaccines more affordable.

• Great strides have been made in recent years to improve access to voluntary family planning, slowing unsustainable population growth and improving the health of both children and mothers in Africa. The most impressive increases in contraceptive prevalence have occurred in Ethiopia (13 to 29 percent in three years), Kenya (31 to 39 percent in five years), Madagascar (18 to 29 percent in five years), and Rwanda (10 to 27 percent in three years).

• Through the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), USAID and its partners have made significant progress in addressing the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa. Two million Africans are now receiving life-saving treatment and another 10 million people living with HIV are receiving care through PEPFAR.

• Tropical diseases like river blindness and sleeping sickness-debilitating conditions that previously affected millions-have nearly disappeared in many African countries and have been drastically reduced in others.

Source: USAID

Ethiopia’s 6th Nations, Nationalities & Peoples’ Day Marked At Embassy In Washington, DC

2012-01-12T13:40:00.001-05:00

By: Tsehaye Debalkew, Washington DC, December 10, 2011

The 6th Nations, Nationalities and Peoples’ Day of Ethiopia/Constitution Day/ was colorfully marked at the auditorium of the Chancery of the Ethiopian Embassy in Washington, D.C. to-day.

The celebration was attended by hundreds of Diaspora Ethiopians, Community Representatives and families. Ambassador Girma Birru, Ambassador Extra-ordinary and Plenipotentiary of the FDRE to the US reminisced the significance of the occasion which marked the endorsement of the constitution that guaranteed and protected the rights of the various nations, and nationalities by declaring their equality and fair and just representation in the political milieu, as enshrined in the noble document.

Ambassador Girma further elucidated the importance of the Nations, Nationalities/ Constitution Day/ as a land mark event, which enabled the creation of an auspicious climate for the realization of the sovereignty and ultimate power of the people who were accorded due recognition for the first time in the countrys polity which spawned for millennia on end.

The Ethiopian Ambassador to the US in his remark enumerated the salient features that define the true character of the Ethiopian Constitution by amply referring to the democratic process undertaken in writing the document and the ways and means of its final ratification as telling elements of its democratic nature.

The Ambassador also cited the enabling conducive environment that has created the continued unity among the different nations, nationalities and peoples of Ethiopia who for the first time in their history have enjoyed the right for a fair play, equal representation and are accorded constitutionally based legal recognition.

Ethiopia which has registered an impressive economic growth sustainably was only able to do so as a result of the enabling condition that has sprouted emanating from the constitution.

In this relation he referenced quite amply the 4% economic growth during the era of the monarchy and a mere average growth of slightly over 1% in the entire reign of the military junta.

On the realm of political rights, Ambassador Girma noted that gone are the days when disgruntled elements and groups had to resort to unlawful acts or violence in quest of remedy for their demands, by reiterating that the present Ethiopian Constitution is embedded with avenues of legal and peaceful address and resolution of any thorny issues.
In his closing statement Ambassador Girma made a clarion call on the Diaspora Ethiopians to positively engage themselves in the overall Growth and Transformation leap that Ethiopians of all walks of life have anchored themselves on, by lending their cherished knowledge, expertise, networking and revenue capacities in a manner that boosts the national drive forward and also calibrating themselves to be active beneficiaries from the enterprise.

He also underlined that they should make good of the propitious environment they currently find themselves in, by making all effort at positively building the image of the nation.

Ambassador Mulie Tarekegn , Deputy Head of Mission at the Ethiopian Embassy and Chief of Diaspora Affairs on his part made a power-point presentation pertaining to the Draft Diaspora Policy. The main points in the new Draft policy were highlighted during the briefing session.

According to the briefings offered by Ambassador Mulie, the New Diaspora Policy is imbued with propitious conditions that enhance Diaspora participation in a meaningful manner by providing solid opportunities in investment, trade, education, health services and other areas of interest.

In the course of the briefing, the Deputy Head of Mission said that the Policy is enriched with instruments that facilitate pertinent and conducive environment that encourages members of the Diaspora communities to directly partake in all levels of decision making through mechanisms that enhance their participation.

Councils to be established by the Diaspora will enable them to put their imprint on decisions that impact their participation and interest, he added. Special focus of the Policy he stated, were the steps taken to bring the knowledge, experience, skill and financial resources of the Diaspora to the country in an organized fashion that could entail dual benefits to the nation and at the same time empower the Diaspora communities.

In the course of the briefing session members of the Diaspora communities raised pertinent questions that enriched the discourse and were given appropriate responses from the podium. At last before the congregation sang the Ethiopian national Anthem in unison, community members of the Ethiopian Diaspora on their part made a solemn gesture to contribute their share to the nation-wide momentum that has ushered in to nip poverty in the bud.

Millennium Challenge Corporation Approves $66.2 Million Compact With Cape Verde

2012-01-11T14:23:00.003-05:00

Washington, D.C.

At its quarterly meeting today, the U.S. Government’s Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) approved a $66.2 million compact with Cape Verde. The Board of Directors selected Benin and El Salvador as eligible to develop proposals for new compacts and Nepal and Honduras as eligible to develop Threshold Programs. “Cape Verde has demonstrated an ongoing commitment to building a self-sustaining, high-growth economy through policy and institutional reforms, private sector engagement and infrastructure development,” said MCC Chief Executive Officer Daniel W. Yohannes. “MCC is proud to partner again with this stable democracy—a model for all of Africa—to improve the quality of life for Cape Verdeans in positive and sustainable ways.”

The Government of Cape Verde recognizes that to alleviate poverty it must continue its positive track record of improved policy performance and government reform. This compact provides a unique opportunity to reduce poverty and address critical constraints to economic growth in Cape Verde through projects focused on reforming the water, sanitation and land management sectors.
Benin and El Salvador were considered eligible to develop proposals for new compacts. These second compacts are contingent on successful completion of first compacts, continued good policy performance, development of proposals that have significant potential to promote economic growth and reduce poverty, and availability of funding.

“Traveling over the last year, I saw firsthand the positive impact that MCC’s compacts are having in both Benin and El Salvador,” said Yohannes. “These countries not only demonstrate the sound policy performance that is required of an MCC partner country, but looking at what they have accomplished in implementation makes me enthusiastic about developing a second compact with them.”
The Board also selected Nepal and Honduras as eligible for new Threshold Programs, and agreed that Zambia, Georgia and Ghana are eligible to continue the process of developing compacts in Fiscal Year 2012. The meeting was held at the Millennium Challenge Corporation’s headquarters on December 16, 2011

About Cape Verde
The Republic of Cape Verde is an island country, spanning an archipelago of 10 islands located in the central Atlantic Ocean, 570 kilometres off the coast of Western Africa. The islands, covering a combined area of slightly over 4,000 square kilometres (1,500 sq mi), are of volcanic origin and while three of them (Sal, Boa Vista and Maio) are fairly flat, sandy and dry, the remaining ones are generally rockier and have more vegetation. However, because of the infrequent occurrence of rainfall the overall landscape is not particularly green, despite what the country’s name suggests (verde is Portuguese for “green”). The name of the country stems instead from the nearby Cap Vert, on the Senegalese coast, which in its turn was originally named “Cabo Verde” when it was sighted by Portuguese explorers in 1444, a few years before the islands were discovered.

The country has an estimated population (most of creole of ethnicity) of about 500,000, with its capital city Praia accounting for a quarter of its citizens. Nearly 38% of the population lives in rural areas according to the 2010 Cape Verdean census; about 20% lives below the poverty threshold, and the literacy rate is around 85%. Politically, the country is a very stable democracy, with notable economic growth and improvements of living conditions despite its lack of natural resources, and has garnered international recognition by other countries and international organizations, which often provide development aid. Since 2007, Cape Verde has been classified as a developing nation.

United States & Cape Verde
The relationship is cordial and has strong historical roots. In the early 18th century, U.S. whaling ships appear to have begun recruiting crews from Brava and Fogo to hunt whales that were abundant in the waters surrounding Cape Verde. Ties between the American colonies and Cape Verde are documented as early as the 1740s, when American ships routinely anchored in Cape Verdean ports to trade for salt or buy slaves. The tradition of emigration to the United States began at that time and continues today.

The first U.S. consulate in sub-Saharan Africa was established in Cape Verde in 1818. U.S. consular representation continued throughout the 19th century. The United States recognized Cape Verde on its independence day and supported its admission to the United Nations. Cape Verde assigned one of its first ambassadors to the United States, and a resident U.S. ambassador was posted to Cape Verde in 1983. Prime Minister Jose Neves visited Cape Verdean communities in New England during an official trip to the United States in 2002, and President Pires visited the United States in April 2005. (Prime Minister Neves also visited the U.S. in September 2007.)

The United States provided emergency humanitarian aid and economic assistance to Cape Verde in the period immediately following Cape Verde’s independence, as well as after natural disasters, including a hurricane that struck the island of Brava in 1982, and after a severe volcanic eruption on Fogo in 1995. Cape Verde also is eligible for trade benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), and has signed an Open Skies agreement to facilitate air travel safety and expansion. On July 4, 2005, Cape Verde became the third country to sign a compact with the U.S. Government-funded Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC); the five-year assistance package is worth over $110 million in addressing rural economic expansion, infrastructure development, and development of the credit sector.

AMIP News Staff Writer

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U.S. Issues Statement on the Passing of President Malam Bacai Sanhá of Guinea-Bissau

2012-01-10T17:11:00.003-05:00

January 10, 2012
U.S. Department of State, Office of the Spokesperson
Statement by Victoria Nuland, Spokesperson

The U.S. Department of State offers its condolences to the family of President Sanhá, and especially to the people of Guinea-Bissau, on his passing.
The United States remains a longstanding friend of the people of Guinea-Bissau, and we will continue to support their aspirations for peace, stability, and prosperity.
We are pleased that the government of Guinea-Bissau and its military recently worked well together in addressing an internal threat to democratic governance. We look forward to collaborating with the international community and working with Acting-President Pereira to arrange timely elections.

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Malam Bacai Sanhá (5 May 1947 – 9 January 2012) was a Guinea-Bissau politician who was President from 8 September 2009 to 9 January 2012. A member of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC), Sanhá was President of the National People’s Assembly from 1994 to 1999 and then served as acting President of Guinea-Bissau from May 14, 1999 to February 17, 2000, following the ouster of President João Bernardo Vieira. Standing as the PAIGC candidate, he placed second in the 1999–2000 presidential election as well as the 2005 presidential election before winning the June–July 2009 presidential election.

Illness & Death
Sanhá was a diabetic. In early December 2009, Sanhá was due to visit Portugal but delayed the visit due to health problems. After fainting, he was taken to Dakar, Senegal and then Paris, France for medical treatment where he said that he was a diabetic and that he had suffered a drop in hemoglobin; although he insisted that his diabetes was “not as serious as people want to make out;” he added that he intended to be more attentive about his health. Sanhá spent ten days in Paris and subsequently stayed in the Canary Islands for a time before returning to Bissau on 30 December 2009. His chief of protocol stated that he had recovered and was in good condition. Since that time he spent regular intervals in hospitals in Dakar and Paris. Sanhá died on the morning of 9 January 2012 in Paris. His office issued a statement that read:

The presidency informs Guinea-Bissau and the international community, with pain and dismay, of the death of his excellency Malam Bacai Sanha this morning at the Val de Grace in Paris where he was undergoing treatment.The government issued a decree that it would observe seven days national mourning during which the flag will be flown at half-mast and all concerts and festivities would not occur. It also sought to repatriate Sanhá’s body for burial. Under the constitution an election is scheduled to be held within 90 days. In the interim the President of the National People’s Assembly Raimundo Pereira, from the same party, will be sworn in as the acting president.

The U.S. & South Africa on the Centenary of the African National Congress (ANC

2012-01-09T17:24:00.011-05:00

Presidents Zuma & Obama
Nuclear Security Summit, Washington, DC
April 11, 2010
Photo by AP

By Frederick Nnoma-Addison

January 9, 2012

The African National Congress (ANC) marked its100th anniversary this past weekend, a milestone for the liberation movement that helped end apartheid in South Africa. As many as 46 heads of state attended the closing ceremony of the three-day long celebrations of Africa's oldest liberation movement. Ailing former president Nelson Mandela did not attend due to his ill health. He has not been seen in public since the 2010 closing ceremonies of the World Cup in South Africa. The events were held in Bloemfontein where the ANC was formed on January 8, 1912.

The movement, which later transitioned to a political party, is credited with sparking years of protests that took the liberation struggle to new heights and invigorated workers, students and other civilians to demand an end to racism. Apartheid was a system of racial segregation enforced by the National Party government of South Africa between 1948 and 1994, under which the rights of the majority 'non-white' inhabitants of South Africa were curtailed and white supremacy and Afrikaner minority rule was maintained. Apartheid was developed after World War II by the Afrikaner-dominated National Party and Broederbond organizations and was practiced also in South West Africa, under South African administration under a League of Nations mandate (revoked in 1966), until it gained independence as Namibia in 1990.

Apartheid sparked significant internal resistance and violence as well as a long trade embargo against South Africa. Since the 1950’s, a series of popular uprisings and protests were met with the banning of opposition and imprisoning of anti-apartheid leaders. As unrest spread and became more violent, state organizations responded with increasing repression and state-sponsored violence. Reforms to apartheid in the 1980’s failed to quell the mounting opposition, and in 1990, President Frederik Willem de Klerk began negotiations to end apartheid, culminating in multi-racial democratic elections in 1994, which were won by the African National Congress under Nelson Mandela.

U.S. relations with South Africa dates back to 1799, when she first established an official consulate in Cape Town. The two currently maintain embassies in Pretoria and Washington, DC, (U.S. & South Africa respectively) and there are Consulates General in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town (U.S.). Americans and South Africans also have many non-governmental ties to boast about. Black and white American missionaries, for example, have a long history of activity in South Africa while many ANC leaders also acknowledge support from and ties to the anti-apartheid movement in the U.S. Although not always consistent with her foreign policy, U.S. played an important role in abolishing apartheid. South African Ambassador to the United States, Harry Schwarz, played a significant role in convincing many Americans that the F.W. de Klerk government was committed to ending apartheid and to returning normal relations in the early 1990’s. During the tenure of President Bill Clinton, South African ambassador, Schwarz negotiated lifting the remaining U.S. sanctions off South Africa.

Since 1994, the United States has enjoyed an excellent bilateral relationship with South Africa although there were differences in position regarding Iraq, for example. Bilateral cooperation in counter-terrorism, fighting HIV/AIDS, and military relations has been particularly positive. Through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the United States also provides assistance to South Africa to help her meet her developmental goals. Peace Corps volunteers began working in South Africa in 1997.

By the mid-1990’s more than 500 American companies had more than US$5 billion in direct investments in South Africa reflecting a steady increase in bi-lateral trade between the two countries. In March 1995, Washington and Pretoria established a United States-South Africa Binational Commission to improve communication and cooperation in agriculture, business, environment and water resources, human resources and education, science and technology, and sustainable energy resources. The U.S. esteems South Africa’s role in helping resolve the political crisis in Zimbabwe. In April 2010, Presidents Obama and Zuma held a bilateral meeting in Washington, during the Nuclear Security Summit, Washington, DC which reaffirmed the bonds between the two countries.

In June 2010, First lady Michelle Obama visited Pretoria, Johannesburg and Cape Town with her daughters, during an official trip to discuss education and other subjects, meet youth leaders of the ANC and Nelson Mandela.

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U.S. Department of State Announces Second International Sports Exchange with the Democratic Republic of the Congo

2012-01-09T17:05:00.000-05:00

Washington, DC

January 9, 2012

The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs announced today the second international sports exchange with the Democratic Republic of the Congo that includes 20 boys and girls basketball players and coaches. From January 9 through January 20, the Congolese delegation will engage with Washington, D.C. area high school and university teams; participate in a clinic by the National Basketball Association (NBA) at the Verizon Center as well as teambuilding and leadership exercises.

Sports diplomacy builds on Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s vision of “smart power.” “Smart power” embraces the use of a full range of diplomatic tools, including sports, to bring people together to foster greater understanding.

This Sports Visitors program follows the July 2007 trip of the NBA’s Juwan Howard and the Women’s National Basketball Association’s (WNBA) Nikki McCray to Kinshasa as Sports Envoys, where they were joined by NBA Legend Dikembe Mutombo.

The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs leads the U.S. Department of State’s sports diplomacy efforts. Through its SportsUnited office, athletes and coaches from a variety of sports conduct clinics, visit schools, and engage with youth overseas in a dialogue on the importance of an education, positive health practices, and respect for diversity.

Since 2003, SportsUnited has brought almost 900 athletes from 58 countries to the U.S. to participate in Sport Visitor programs; and sent over 200 U.S. athletes to more than 50 countries to participate in Sport Envoy programs since 2005.

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U.S. State Department Honors Consolata Ndayishimye of Burundi

2012-01-03T22:27:00.006-05:00

Washington, DC

January 3, 2012

The U.S. Department of State selected Consolata Ndayishimye, an alumna of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ (ECA) International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), as State Alumni Member of the Month. Mrs. Ndayishimye’s 2006 participation in IVLP on the topic of women and entrepreneurship inspired her to seek the presidency of the Federal Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Burundi. Today, she promotes women’s entrepreneurship for the entire region, through her 2011 selection as president of the East Africa Business Council.

Mrs. Ndayishimye is a dynamic and energetic promoter of women’s entrepreneurship. In March 2007, she organized trips for Burundian business women to travel to Rwanda in search of projects and to learn best practices. As a result, she organized three regional workshops allowing 150 Burundian and 20 Rwandan women to share business experiences. Subsequently, six projects were launched in the two countries including a microfinance group, the enhancement of a local restaurant and the Agaseke Project, which provides opportunities for women from the underprivileged Batwa ethnic group to produce and sell handicrafts in support of their own sustainable employment.

Mrs. Ndayishimye is also instrumental in working with Burundi’s exchange alumni community. At the recent launch of the reconstituted Burundi Alumni Association, she encouraged fellow alumni to join the global alumni network and combine their talents and dreams to make Burundi a better place.

The IVLP alumna shares her business expertise and contacts with Burundian alumni. She facilitates connections between local journalists and bankers and alumni representatives from neighboring countries. Furthermore, she participates in embassy-sponsored events such as a recent economic roundtable with the Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Africa and other members of the Burundian business community.

Throughout January, her leadership and dedication to African women’s entrepreneurship will be recognized on the State Alumni website (https://alumni.state.gov), ECA’s official website for the more than one million Department-sponsored exchange alumni worldwide. Each month, the Bureau’s Office of Alumni Affairs, which supports alumni as they build on their exchange experiences, confers the award on an outstanding alumnus or alumna.

President Obama Calls Tunisian Interim Prime Minister Jebali

2011-12-19T22:55:00.001-05:00

President Obama called Tunisia’s interim Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali today to congratulate him on his appointment and to underscore America’s strong support for Tunisia’s democratic transition. The President and the Prime Minister discussed the importance of continued progress on meeting the democratic aspirations of all Tunisians. The President praised Tunisia for its inclusive transition, which presents an historic chance for greater political and economic opportunity for all Tunisians. The President reaffirmed America’s deep friendship with and support for the Tunisian people as they continue to press ahead with this new chapter in their country’s history.

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U.S. on the Lifting of Sanctions in Libya

2011-12-19T06:23:00.000-05:00

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary

December 16, 2011

Statement by the Press Secretary on the Lifting of Sanctions in Libya

Today, after careful consultation with the new Libyan government, the United States rolled back most U.S. sanctions on the Government of Libya to keep our commitment to the Libyan people. Just days after the Qadhafi regime’s attacks against the Libyan people, the United States imposed a complete freeze on Government of Libya assets. The international financial sanctions that followed prevented Libya's assets from being used by Qadhafi to perpetrate violence and preserved Libya’s wealth for its rightful owners, the Libyan people. Due to the bravery and perseverance of the Libyan people, the Qadhafi regime was defeated and Libya is now undertaking a transition to democracy.

Today’s action unfreezes all government and Central Bank funds within U.S. jurisdiction, with limited exceptions. Assets in the U.S. of the Qadhafi family and former Qadhafi regime members remain frozen. These measures, along with the steps taken today by the United Nations Security Council, will allow the Libyan government to access most of its worldwide holdings and will help the new government oversee the country’s transition and reconstruction in a responsible manner. The United States is also assisting the Libyan government with the technical steps required to make these assets available from financial institutions as soon as possible.

The United States is proud of the role we played in supporting the Libyan peoples' efforts to end the Qadhafi regime. We look forward to a continued close partnership with the new government of Libya during this transitional period and beyond, and believe that these assets can be an important resource for the Libyan people.

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U.S. & South Sudan Joint Statement

2011-12-16T07:08:00.001-05:00

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

December 15, 2011

Joint Statement by the United States and the Republic of South Sudan at the International Engagement Conference for South Sudan

The Governments of the United States and the Republic of South Sudan are pleased to have hosted the International Engagement Conference for South Sudan December 14-15, 2011 to highlight the national development vision of South Sudan and the opportunities for investment in the country. The United States and South Sudan appreciate the support and participation of the conference co-sponsors – the United Kingdom, Norway, Turkey, the European Union, the African Union, the United Nations, the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation, the Corporate Council on Africa, and InterAction. Senior officials from each of these governments and organizations participated in the conference, providing valuable insights and contributions.

At the conference, President Salva Kiir Mayardit presented a forward-looking development vision of South Sudan and emphasized his government’s commitment to promoting a climate conducive to attracting and retaining new investment, including taking specific legislative actions and encouraging regional and international trade, especially in several key sectors. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton noted the U.S. commitment to partnering with South Sudan as it works to develop its economy and strengthen its institutions of government for the benefit of its people.

Participants in the conference saluted the people of South Sudan for achieving their independence in July and welcomed the government’s early focus on and commitment to accountability, transparency and good governance. Follow-through on this commitment is critical to fulfill the aspirations of the South Sudanese people for economic and social development. The conference focused on several important themes central to this goal: responsible management of oil revenue and natural resources; effective social services delivery; investments in education, health and agriculture; human capital and institutional capacity development; promotion of women, youth and respect for diversity; and efficient coordination of international assistance. In addition, participants discussed specific investment opportunities in sectors such as oil and renewable energy, information technology, agriculture, transportation infrastructure, clean water and sanitation, capacity building services, and financial services. South Sudan proposed and participants agreed that investments, international support and development assistance will be linked to national priorities. South Sudan will engage the international community on a high-level dialogue to strengthen institutions to advance accountability and transparency.

Going forward, the United States Government and other key partners -- including other donors, the private sector, and non-governmental organizations -- reinforced a commitment to work alongside the Government of the Republic of South Sudan to serve as a catalyst for new partnerships and opportunities to assist in achieving prosperity and social development for the people of South Sudan. The conference emphasized that South Sudan must be supported in its desire for peace in order to enable it to concentrate on the needs of its people, who have waited long for the opportunity for a better life.

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MCC Opens Doors for US Companies to Do Business In Tanzania

2011-12-14T09:26:00.002-05:00

MCC CEO Daniel W. Yohannes (far right) tours Symbion Power’s power plant in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania with Secretary of State and Chair of the MCC Board of Directors Hillary Rodham Clinton and Symbion Power CEO Paul Hinks (right).

The lack of reliable power is a major constraint to economic growth in Tanzania. Fewer

than one in five households are connected to the electrical grid, which experiences frequent blackouts and power surges. This creates negative effects throughout society: an unreliable electricity source stifles economic activity and can dissuade potential investors, and school performance slumps because many students can’t study after sundown. But where many might see challenges, two American companies see opportunity. Symbion Power of Washington, D.C., and Pike Electric of Mount Airy, North Carolina, competitively won contracts valued at $47.7 million and $17.9 million respectively in September 2010 as part of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) compact with the Government of Tanzania.

MCC’s five-year, $698 million compact with Tanzania primarily targets the African nation’s poor infrastructure, including $206 million in the Energy Sector Project to rehabilitate and expand the nation’s power grid. This project is improving electricity availability and quality through the addition of a 100-megawatt submarine electric transmission cable from mainland Tanzania to Zanzibar and the rehabilitation of about 3,000 kilometers of transmission and distribution lines in six regions. More than 1.5 million people are expected to benefit over 20 years, increasing incomes by an estimated $934 million.

Reliable Power Supply Contributes To Poverty Reduction

A reliable power supply is a prerequisite to business investment, both local and international. A reliable power grid allows businesses to spend less on generators and fuel, letting them focus on their core business of producing goods and services. MCC’s investments are expected to result in a 15 percent reduction in the frequency and duration of power outages. Connecting households to a reliable grid also creates environmental and social benefits. Generators spew diesel exhaust; many families burn kerosene, charcoal or other fossil fuels inside their home for cooking. Schools with reliable electric supplies can offer a more technology-focused curriculum, and students can spend more time studying at night.

Millennium Challenge Account-Tanzania, the compact’s implementing organization, chose Symbion Power and Pike Electric through a competitive bidding process to install the power lines in six of the country’s 26 regions. A joint venture between Symbion and Alstom Grid also won a $45 million contract in August 2010 to rehabilitate and expand transmission and distribution substations.

Symbion and Pike Expand Their Business In Tanzania

In addition to the MCC-funded work, Symbion has made more investments in Tanzania’s power sector. In June, it purchased a 120-megawatt power plant that had been sitting idle for almost three years and put it into immediate production, adding much needed power to the national grid. The company has also contracted with the Government of Tanzania to provide another 200 megawatts of power, and the two sides are discussing other projects to provide even more electricity to feed into the national network.

American Companies Invest In Tanzanian Workers

Symbion and Pike are committed to helping Tanzania improve its electrical system in the long term by investing in the skills of Tanzanian workers. For example, they used their own corporate social responsibility funds earlier this year to send three senior Tanzanian workers to the Northwest Lineman College in Meridian, Idaho. During the two-month program, the students learned about electrical systems, accident prevention and construction methods - skills they will use to train others in Tanzania.

To transfer such skills sustainably, the two companies established a training facility in Morogoro, where they have trained more than 200 Tanzanians, many of whom are expected to work on the MCC-funded projects. By training local technicians, the two companies expect to create a cadre of highly capable Tanzanians to work on future projects.

“(MCC) is by far the best donor I have ever dealt with,” Symbion Power CEO Paul Hinks told the Corporate Council for Africa’s 2011 Business Summit in October. “More American companies should participate in MCC bids for energy projects because it is possible to win work if your proposal is responsive, high quality, and your prices are fair.”

“In the 13 years since I first started working in Africa, including over five years with MCC, this is one of the most impressive initiatives that I have been associated with,” said Matthew Kavanagh, MCC’s deputy resident country director for Tanzania. “It is also exactly the kind of partnership with the private sector— especially the U.S. private sector—that MCC is focused on creating.”

A reliable electrical supply can provide a better future and a path out of poverty. MCC is creating an enabling environment in developing countries for U.S. companies to do business, and two American firms are helping make that a reality for low-income Tanzanians.

International Engagement Conference on South Sudan

2011-12-13T16:12:00.001-05:00

Washington, DC

December 13, 2011

MODERATOR: MS. NULAND: Good afternoon, everybody. We are delighted today to have a special briefing for you from USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah and our U.S. Special Envoy for Sudan Princeton Lyman to talk about the International Engagement Conference on South Sudan, which starts tomorrow and which the Secretary will also address.

Without further ado, Administrator Shah.

ADMINISTRATOR SHAH: Thank you, and good afternoon. I’d like to share a few points about the International Engagement Conference on behalf of the Republic of South Sudan that the United States will be hosting with a number of other critical partners over the next few days.

First, this conference is an opportunity for the Government of Southern Sudan to lay out its vision for economic development and humanitarian assistance to the international community; to seek and receive coordinated and effective partnership from a number of broad partners from around the international community; and to have a direct dialogue and engagement with the private sector here in the United States and around the world to help private companies and investors see the Republic of Southern Sudan as a place where they want to increase their investments, thereby enabling significant economic development and economic growth.

Second, we, as the United States, working in partnership with so many important partners like the UK and Norway in the international community, have a track record of early success in South Sudan. We’ve helped to establish that country and its peaceful transition through the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. We’ve provided more than a million people with access to clean and safe drinking water, helped to increase school enrollment from 20 percent to 68 percent, and helped to establish a number of efforts in the area of agriculture and agricultural development that are so crucial to their economic future, because more than 80 percent of the people of Southern Sudan depend on agriculture for food and for income and live in rural communities.

Third, we’re hoping to build on that track record of partnership and success through the course of this conference this week. This is really an opportunity to ensure that the international engagement with Southern Sudan is coordinated and World Bank, the UK, Norway, EU, the African Union, and many of the regional partners will all be present to ensure that there’s effective coordination in our efforts in South Sudan.

We hope that the private sector will be a major feature of the Southern Sudanese presentation and of our partnership with them, in addition to launching some new efforts such as a $7 million agricultural lending facility with Equity Bank and Kenya Commercial Bank to help Southern Sudanese farmers gain access to resources. We’ll be working with American corporations that are increasingly interested in investing in Southern Sudan for their own future economic support and profitability.

And we hope that there will be a major theme of mutual accountability as part of this conference. The Southern Sudanese Government and President Kiir have made commitments to implement a public financial management law, to bring transparency to the private investment sector through their investment act, and to take critical decisions to ensure that oil revenue and revenue that’s generated from the oil sector is transparent and is reinvested against the core human needs that are still quite stark in Southern Sudan, a country where the maternal mortality, child mortality, and illiteracy rates are some of the highest in the world but could come down rapidly if the right decisions are taken.

Finally, all of these efforts are being undertaken to help the people of Southern Sudan achieve their own aspirations. It has been our premise from the beginning that it’s the Republic of Southern Sudan and its partners that have to make their own plan for their economic development, and that we follow along as partners supportive of a peaceful and prosperous outcome in that part of the world.

So with that, I’ll turn this over to Princeton Lyman to describe some of the overall political issues that shape the context in which we’re having this important meeting. Thank you.

AMBASSADOR LYMAN: Thanks, Raj. This conference is really shaping up to be quite a conference, and I congratulate Raj and all his colleagues at USAID who’ve been working for months now to put this conference together, because we’re getting people from all over the world really coming and participating and a very strong private sector participation. So I think it’s really an extraordinary event, and we’re looking forward to it very much.

As was mentioned, the Secretary will open the conference tomorrow. President Kiir, of course, will be speaking and have a large delegation.

It’s important because, with all the emphasis on the peace process and the independence and the continuing problems in negotiating with the North and problems on the border that I’m sure you’re very familiar with, it’s important to focus a spotlight on the real big challenges that South Sudan faces internally – a country of extraordinary poverty, terribly disrupted by decades of war, very limited infrastructure, and people who, after all those decades of war, are now looking for not only peace but the benefits of peace. And I think this conference will really throw a spotlight on both the needs but also the great potential that exists there.

We are continuing, of course, to be very concerned about the security situation, which has been exacerbated by the fighting going on in the southern states of Sudan, of Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile. We continue to press very hard for a return to negotiations and for full humanitarian access to those areas.

And we’ve cautioned both sides about the dangers of escalating border conflicts that have taken place – the bombing of a refugee camp at Yida, some fighting around another border area. And it emphasizes, just to finish on that point, the importance of the two countries moving together on a mechanism that they’ve agreed on, the Joint Political and Security Mechanism, which is to establish a demilitarized border zone with joint monitoring and UN participation. And we’re hoping that that mechanism, JPSM, will meet soon, and that they will start to move on instituting that system, because the border area – because there are disputed areas along the border and because it impacts on the fighting in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile – is a flashpoint. Not that we think the two are going to go to war in that sense, but the conflict on the border, the clashes that take place, raise a lot of tension. And they impact on the ability of the two to negotiate other issues in oil, Abyei, et cetera. So those continue to be a major focus of ours, but this conference allows everyone to look at South Sudan and the needs it has, the prospects it has, the leadership it has, and to focus on the development of that country, which is going to be vital.

So again, I congratulate Raj and all his colleagues for the tremendous work they put into making this happen.

MS. NULAND: Questions? Michele.

QUESTION: Yeah, hi. Sudan has accused the South of fomenting a lot of this violence, of shipping up arms. Have you seen evidence of that? And will that be part of any – will there be conditions placed on any kind of aid packages that you guys might be announcing?

AMBASSADOR LYMAN: We’re not putting conditions on the aid packages. We have taken a position – we’ve communicated it very clearly to the Government of South Sudan – that we do not think that any military support should be given across the border to what’s happening in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile. You know there’s a historical connection between the people who are fighting there and the SPLA in the South, and we understand that. But we think military support across the border is a dangerous and provocative situation. The government denies that they’re doing it. But we have made that point very strongly.

But it is – the government in Khartoum is wrong to say that the problem of Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile arises because of possible support from the South. That’s not the source of the problem. The source is that political issues in those two states, which were to be resolved through processes of popular consultations and negotiations, have not been resolved. And the government of Khartoum and the people from those states have to get back to a political process, and it’s not any support from the South that is at the heart of the problem.

MS. NULAND: Other questions? Please, Dave.

QUESTION: Where does the roadmap toward better relations with the Khartoum government stand? Has this violence been a setback to that?

AMBASSADOR LYMAN: No question it’s been a setback. We have told the government that it’s impossible to move forward on some of the key elements of the roadmap when they are bombing civilians and denying humanitarian access to Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan. It just can’t. So we have made that point clear, and it’s a fact.

MS. NULAND: Please.

QUESTION: What about the roadmap from the Khartoum government to remove them from the list of State Sponsor of Terrorism and sending a U.S. Ambassador?

AMBASSADOR LYMAN: Well, we’ve – as I said, we made it clear that we can’t move forward, let’s say, on the State Sponsors of Terrorism while this conflict is going on in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile. There are three aspects of it. There is the bombing, which it hit civilian areas almost indiscriminately. There’s the denial of humanitarian access by international agencies – World Food Program, UNICEF, et cetera. And there’s the need to get back to negotiations. All three of those are critical for us to be able to move forward and take up the issue of State Sponsor of Terrorism or other things on the roadmap. We’ve made that point quite, quite clear to the government of Khartoum.

QUESTION: Is the North blocking the export of oil from the South?

AMBASSADOR LYMAN: No, not really. There’s been talk of that, but it looks like the oil is still going through. There are talks starting tomorrow – no, on the 17^th in Addis – further talks between the two on the oil sector.

QUESTION: Thank you.

MS. NULAND: (Inaudible.)

QUESTION: Fine. What kind of resolution you are looking for from this conference?

ADMINISTRATOR SHAH: Well, I think there will be a number of announcements, and almost every major partner or participant will be mentioning what their commitment to Southern Sudan will look like. For many partners – like the United States, the UK, and Norway – we’ve had a longstanding program in the South, working with partners there, and we’ll be continuing that and building upon that progress in a manner that is consistent with what the Republic of South Sudan is asking for, which is support in main productive sectors, help to get private investment in, and support for critical areas like health and education.

I guess I’d make two quick points. One is that across our partnership, we’ve sort of made a decision that different countries will take the lead in different areas of work so that we’re more effectively coordinated. So the UK leads in health and in anticorruption efforts; the Norwegians lead in helping to support the Republic of South Sudan in managing their oil revenues in a transparent and visible way; and the United States has taken a leadership on agricultural development and private investment. And that sort of division of labor will likely be reinforced in the meeting that takes place.

QUESTION: Thank you.

QUESTION: I just had one quick follow-up. Just given all the violence, I mean, what is your message to private companies thinking about going into this place? And also just talk about the lack of infrastructure. I mean, how do you go about opening up business contacts in a place like that?

ADMINISTRATOR SHAH: Well, there are really two things that have to happen. The Government of South Sudan has to make some decisions about their commitments to extractive industries, transparency, for example, or the basic protection of investments that are made from the outside to build up investor confidence. President Kiir at the UN General Assembly made very strong, positive commitments on both of those issues, and we expect he’ll have more to say on that in this meeting.

The other piece is there are a long line of potential investors that see opportunity in the South, Nairobi-based agricultural investors that recognize that you could get 2-, 300 percent yield improvements on agriculture in the South because it’s very fertile, very rich soils, a lot of opportunity, and there hasn’t been the kind of basic investment in the agriculture sector that you would expect, given that opportunity.

There are increasing opportunities for U.S. firms to engage in the oil sector, for example. So we’re seeing strong interest. The Corporate Council on Africa is a co-sponsor, and they represent a series of companies that are interested in making investments in South Sudan, and part of this meeting is to bring those companies into close contact with leadership.

QUESTION: And U.S. sanctions don’t affect – I mean, the lingering sanctions on the North don’t affect what’s happened?

ADMINISTRATOR SHAH: Well, not for, say, agricultural investments in the South. And there’s been also some adjustments made to allow for U.S. firms to make investments in the oil sector in particular.

MS. NULAND: Anybody else? Nicole?

QUESTION: I just wanted to ask the Ambassador if there are concerns about the State of Sudan of the North, because they have lost an immense amount of revenue and territory. And I’m just wondering how concerned you are about the country’s ability to stay together, not to collapse or dissolve.

AMBASSADOR LYMAN: Well, I – it’s a very important consideration, because in our view, the government faces a very serious economic problem. They’ve lost 70 percent of their oil, and that means a huge fiscal gap of over $7 billion over the next few years and a big foreign exchange loss. And so you can see prices are going up. There’s pressure on the Sudanese pound. They’re facing serious budget problems.

And what we’re saying is this is no time to go to war in three or four of the states of your country, Southern Kordofan, Blue Nile, Darfur, et cetera. And it is important to get a negotiated solution to the oil sector with the South. So I – it’s a very dangerous situation, it seems to me, for the stability and economic needs of Sudan in this situation. And it’s another reason why pursuing those military options in the Southern area is, in our view, very counterproductive to the needs of the country.

QUESTION: Thank you.

MS. NULAND: Thank you, everybody. And thank you to our guests.

QUESTION: Thank you.

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Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs Andrew J. Shapiro Travels to Libya, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia

2011-12-12T15:55:00.000-05:00

Washington, DC

December 12, 2011

Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs Andrew J. Shapiro travels to Libya, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia December 9-15, 2011, to meet with senior civilian and military officials to build on diplomatic initiatives aimed at meeting shared security challenges and strengthening our political-military relationships in the region.

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Secretary Clinton On Kenya's National Day

2011-12-12T12:20:00.001-05:00

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Office of the Spokesperson

December 11, 2011

Republic of Kenya National Day

On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I am delighted to send congratulations to the people of Kenya as you celebrate your 48th year of independence this December 12.

Our two countries share a strong commitment to Kenya’s future. Together we are working to strengthen democracy, encourage greater stability, and promote prosperity in Kenya and throughout the region. The United States commends the very significant progress Kenya has made in implementing its new constitution and stands in partnership with the government and people of Kenya as you prepare for the 2012 national elections.

Jamhuri Day is a time for all Kenyans to reflect on your country's many blessings and accomplishments, as well as the challenges that lie ahead. As you celebrate with family, friends and loved ones on this joyous occasion, know that the people of the United States stand with you. Best wishes for a year of peace and prosperity.

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Presidential Elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

2011-12-10T23:23:00.000-05:00

Washington, DC

December 9, 2011

The United States continues to follow closely the electoral process in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). With today’s publication of the preliminary results, the United States urges the relevant Congolese authorities to complete the remaining steps in the electoral process by proceeding with maximum openness and transparency.

The United States continues to advocate to all Congolese political leaders and their supporters to act responsibly, to renounce violence, and to resolve any disagreements through peaceful dialogue and existing legal remedies. The Government of the DRC remains responsible for providing security for the people of the Congo. Any persons who use or incite imminentviolence to derail the democratic process must be held accountable.

The United States once again congratulates the Congolese people for the large voter turnout and enthusiasm for the November 28 presidential and legislative elections, and stands with the Congolese people in their quest to advance peace and democracy in their country.

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Secretary Clinton On Burkina Faso National Day

2011-12-10T07:52:00.001-05:00

U.S. Department of State

Office of the Spokesperson

December 9, 2011

STATEMENT BY SECRETARY CLINTON

Burkina Faso National Day

On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I am delighted to send best wishes to the people of Burkina Faso as you celebrate your National Day this December 11.

The bond between our two countries continues to strengthen through our close cooperation on so many issues. The United States is committed to the peace and stability of Burkina Faso as we work together to build schools and increase girls’ enrollment rates, strengthen military cooperation and training, and harness the power of the Peace Corps volunteers as they help reduce poverty and promote small business entrepreneurship. Together, we are strengthening democracy and human rights, establishing new development initiatives and expanding opportunities for more Burkinabe.

As you celebrate this special day, know that the United States stands with you as a friend, and we look forward to deepening our partnership even more in the years to come.

# # #

West and Central Africa Winners of Apps4Africa Announced

2011-12-08T17:51:00.001-05:00

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Office of the Spokesperson

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

December 8, 2011

As part of our engagement with African partners in addressing the challenge of climate change, the U.S. Department of State announced the West and Central Africa winners of the Apps4Africa: Climate Challenge in Durban, South Africa on December 7, 2011. Apps4Africa consists of three African regional competitions to address local climate change challenges through the development of web-based and mobile applications. These contests build on the outcomes of regional climate change adaptation workshops organized by the Adaptation Partnership, which includes the United States and more than 20 other countries.

The winning applications were announced at the U.S. Center at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties in Durban. The announcement was part of an event highlighting country-driven solutions to climate change adaptation in Africa, demonstrating that the United States is working with partners to bring together practitioners, policy-makers, and African technology innovators to address climate change challenges through programs such as the global Adaptation Partnership and Apps4Africa.

First place in the West and Central Africa Apps4Africa went to HospitalManager, a web-based application from Nigeria that will help hospitals prepare for the possibility of more frequent extreme weather events such as storms, floods, and heat waves. Second place went to the EcoFund-Forum, a web-based app from Senegal that helps communities share successful strategies for adapting to local impacts of climate change. The third prize winner was Farmerline, a mobile and web-based app that will help farmers in rural Ghana obtain the information they need to increase yields in the face of changes in the growing season and climate variability. Winners will receive cash prizes. Private partners, including TED and Indigo Trust, are contributing follow-on support. The East Africa Apps4Africa contest concludes December 20, 2011, and winners will be announced in January 2012. The Southern Africa competition runs from February 1, 2012 through March 31, 2012, with winners announced in April.

For more information please visit http://apps4africa.org or contact Marissa Rollens, U.S. Department of State, Bureau of African Affairs, at 202-663-0531 or RollensMK@state.gov.

United States Dedicates New Embassy Compound in Djibouti

2011-12-08T13:06:00.001-05:00

December 7, 2011

In an important symbol of America’s commitment to an enduring friendship with the people of the Republic of Djibouti, as well as the importance of our bilateral relationship with the Republic of Djibouti Government, the United States dedicated its new Embassy in Djibouti today. U.S. Ambassador Geeta Pasi presided at the ceremony, joining Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf; and Managing Director for the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations’ (OBO) Planning and Real Estate Directorate, Jay Hicks.

The multi-building complex – including a Chancery, a Marine Security Guard Quarters, a General Services Office annex, Compound Access Control buildings, and a utility building - has quickly become a platform to increase U.S. interaction with the Djiboutian people. The Embassy’s permanent art collection celebrates the exchange of artistic expression between the United States and the Republic of Djibouti through 33 works by 23 Djiboutian and American artists, curated by OBO’s Office of Art in Embassies. Occupying a 10-acre site in the New Haramus neighborhood, the new facility creates a secure, sustainable, and pleasant workplace for over 100 employees.

The new Embassy incorporates numerous sustainable features, most notably water conservation through the use of water-saving drip irrigation and re-use of cleansed waste water for irrigation. The facility is registered with the Green Building Certification Institute and will pursue Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Certification. Caddell Construction Company of Montgomery, Alabama constructed the project, which was designed by Integrus Architecture of Spokane, Washington. The $147 million project generated jobs in both the United States and Republic of Djibouti.

Since the 1999 enactment of the Secure Embassy Construction and Counterterrorism Act, the Department has moved more than 26,000 people into safer facilities. OBO has completed 88 diplomatic facilities and has an additional 40 projects in design or construction.

OBO’s mission is to provide safe, secure, and functional facilities for the conduct of U.S. diplomacy and the promotion of U.S. interests worldwide. These facilities represent American values and the best in American architecture, engineering, technology, sustainability, art, culture, and construction execution.

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U.S. Ambassador to the World Trade Organization (Punke) Attends African Union Trade Minister's Conference In Accra

2011-12-03T17:44:00.005-05:00

Friday, December 2, 2011 - Ambassador Punke attended the African Union Trade Ministers’ Conference in Accra, Ghana. Punke is in Ghana to join African ministers as they work on coordinating trade policy positions and consider strategies for boosting intra-African trade and integrating Africa into the global economy. During the AU Conference, Ambassador Punke highlighted trade’s important role in Africa’s economic growth and development. He also discussed the many ways the United States partners with African countries in the region, and with African entrepreneurs to ensure that they take advantage of the market access provided by the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and other U.S. initiatives.

While in Ghana, Ambassador Punke visited the West Africa Trade Hub (WATH), a USAID-funded initiative to provide technical assistance and training to export-ready firms in 21 West African countries. Since 2003, WATH has trained over 4,200 people from 15 countries in U.S.-African trade, facilitated over $23 million in investment and at least $62 million in exports, and created over 3,000 jobs in the region. Ambassador Punke also heard directly from companies benefiting from WATH’s technical assistance, including exporters of textiles, shea, and cashews.

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United States Partnering With African Countries To Boost Trade & Investment

2011-12-03T17:30:00.003-05:00

OFFICE OF THE TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT WASHINGTON, D.C.

Trade has long been an effective way to move millions of people out of poverty around the world. The Obama Administration views trade as a critical component of an integrated approach to development policy. The United States partners with poor and developing countries on trade and investment through numerous successful programs and affiliations, offering duty-free treatment to many countries’ products, promoting high standards of accountability, transparency, and good governance, and providing special efforts to link trade and economic opportunity for countries ravaged by disaster or violence. The United States also
leverages public-private partnerships to achieve the maximum impact for communities in poor and developing countries.

African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA)
AGOA is the cornerstone of U.S. economic and trade policy towards the countries of sub-Saharan Africa, aimed at promoting free markets, expanding U.S.-African trade and investment, stimulating economic growth, and facilitating sub-Saharan Africa’s integration into the global economy. AGOA currently provides forty sub-Saharan African countries with duty-free access for practically all products they export to the United States. Since its enactment in 2000, two-way trade has grown to $82.1 billion in 2010, and AGOA exports to the United States have increased to $ 44.3 billion. While much of the increase is attributable to oil, non-oil AGOA trade has increased threefold, and includes non-traditional, value-added products such as apparel, footwear, processed agricultural products, and manufactured goods.

U.S. Aid for Trade
The United States is one of the largest single-country providers of Aid for Trade. Between 1999 and 2010, the U.S. government has obligated nearly $14 billion for trade-related assistance to developing countries, the majority of this -- $10 billion – was provided since the launch of the Aid for Trade initiative in 2005. A detailed breakdown of U.S. trade-related assistance by country and type of assistance is available at http://tcb.eads.usaidallnet.gov/.

The U.S. Agency for International Development is one of the principal contributors to U.S. Aid for Trade efforts, and working through over 70 missions around the world, has dramatically increased the percentage of assistance to LDCs in recent years. Over the last eight years, the
United States has committed over $2.3 billion of trade capacity building assistance to sub-Saharan Africa, including over $735 million in FY2010 alone.

African Competitiveness and Trade Expansion Initiative (ACTE)
In June 2011, the United States reinforced its long-standing commitment to trade capacity building in sub-Saharan Africa, by announcing the new African Competitiveness and Trade Expansion Initiative. This initiative will provide up to $120 million over four years to improve Africa’s capacity to produce and export competitive, value-added products, including those that can enter duty-free under AGOA, and to address supply-side constraints that impede African trade. ACTE will support the work of our three regional trade hubs in West, East/Central, and Southern Africa, and will help to drive economic development in African countries, and enhance trade opportunities among Africans and Americans alike. The majority of the countries served by the hubs are LDCs.

Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC)
MCC accounts for the majority of U.S. Aid for Trade. MCC works in partnership with eligible countries that identify the greatest constraints to their own development and establish their own priorities to create sustainable economic growth. Many MCC partner countries place a high priority on increasing competiveness and facilitating regional and international trade, and many partner countries include trade capacity building as a priority in their proposals for poverty reduction assistance. As a result, approximately $4.7 billion—66 percent—of total MCC assistance to its partner countries since 2005 is considered Aid for Trade. Approximately 63 percent of MCC Aid for Trade is provided to LDCs. With respect to Africa specifically, well
over half of MCC compacts (15 of 23) are with African countries. In addition, consistent with the mandate for the WTO trade facilitation negotiations, many MCC compacts involve significant investments in infrastructure, and MCC assistance contributes over $2.8 billion to U.S. efforts to support trade facilitation
reforms.

Feed the Future
In 2009, at the L’Aquila G-8 Summit, the United States pledged at least $3.5 billion over three years for Feed the Future (FTF). FTF has as one of its objectives promoting economic growth from farmer to market by improving linkages to local, regional, and global markets and supporting an enabling environment for agricultural trade to minimize the impact of food price hikes. FTF investments are in agricultural and nutritional programs, and occur in two phases to help ensure the sustainability and increase the impact of these programs. FTF covers 20 countries, and has five regional programs. Since 2010, for sub-Saharan Africa, the FTF bilateral programs provided over $618 million in assistance with additional assistance through two
regional programs. Also, the United States contributes to the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP) which has made strong progress since its April 2010 launch. To date the United States has contributed $167 million of our $475 million pledge to GAFSP.

TIFAs and Bilateral Investment Treaties
The United States has Trade and Investment Framework Agreements (TIFAs) with eleven countries or regional economic organizations in sub-Saharan Africa. The United States also has a Trade, Investment and Development Cooperative Agreement (TIDCA) with the 5 countries of the Southern African Customs Union. Through these agreements, the United States and its key African partners are able to address a range of trade and investment issues, and work together to enhance two-way trade and investment. The United States has Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs) with 6 countries, including one recently approved by the Senate with Rwanda. A BIT with Mauritius is under negotiation. The BITs are intended to strengthen investor protections
and encourage countries to continue market-oriented economic reforms.

United States-East African Community Trade and Investment Initiative
As part of a new U.S. - East African Community (EAC) initiative supporting regional integration, the United States, the EAC Secretariat, and the five EAC member states (Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda) have agreed to pursue a new trade and investment initiative. Under this new initiative, the United States and the EAC will explore a regional investment treaty, creation of trade enhancing agreements in areas such as trade facilitation, and the development of stronger commercial engagement between U.S. and EAC businesses. The development of intraregional markets is one of the most powerful engines for economic
growth. This is particularly true in Africa, where underdeveloped regional markets are believed to be a major constraint to growth. The EAC initiative may serve as a model for building the U.S. trade and investment relationship with Africa.

Partnership for Growth
As an outgrowth of President Obama’s Presidential Policy Directive on Global Development, the Partnership for Growth (PFG) is a signature effort focused on economic growth as the core priority for United States development efforts. Ghana and Tanzania are two of the four countries initially selected as PFG partners – countries in which the conditions for sustained economic growth are right, and which are likely to be the next generation of emerging markets.

U.S. & Rwanda Ratify Bilateral Investment Treaty

2011-12-02T12:16:00.001-05:00

December 2, 2011

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk and Rwandan Minister of Trade and Industry François Kanimba today ratified the U.S.-Rwanda bilateral investment treaty (BIT) by exchanging treaty instruments of ratification signed by President Obama and Rwandan Prime Minister Damien Habumuremyi. The ratification took place at a ceremony hosted by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR). The treaty will enter into force thirty days after ratification.

“I am proud to participate in the ratification of this treaty with our Rwandan partners today because U.S. investment in Rwanda and elsewhere supports the U.S. economy and jobs here at home,” said Ambassador Kirk. “This treaty will strengthen our two countries’ economic ties and enhance the confidence of U.S. investors in Rwanda, as well as Rwandan investors in the United States. It will also help to promote the new investment that is critical to Rwanda’s economic development. We see Rwanda as a leader in seeking to transform its economy through open trade and investment. We hope that the U.S.-Rwanda bilateral investment treaty will serve as a model for future agreements with other African countries.”

In his remarks, Minister Kanimba affirmed the strength of the U.S.-Rwanda trade and investment relationship and the importance of the newly ratified Bilateral Investment Treaty.

Undersecretary of State for Economic, Energy, and Agricultural Affairs Robert D. Hormats, who also participated in the event, added that “bilateral investment treaties that help forge strong economic ties between countries are beneficial for the United States and our developing country partners. The capital inflows help developing countries grow and in turn they become important consumers for U.S. goods and services.”

Total two-way goods trade between Rwanda and the United States totaled $51 million in 2010. U.S. exports to Rwanda were $29.5 million and imports from Rwanda totaled $21.5 million. Top U.S. exports in 2010 were vaccines, medical devices, and electronics. Coffee comprised over 85 percent of U.S. imports from Rwanda in 2010. Other leading imports from Rwanda were tungsten, pyrethrum (a natural insecticide), and baskets.

The U.S.-Rwanda BIT is the first BIT that the United States has signed with an African country in nearly a decade. It will be the sixth BIT to enter into force with a partner in sub-Saharan Africa. The United States currently has five BITs in force in sub-Saharan Africa, with Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, the Republic of Congo, and Senegal.

Background:

The U.S.-Rwanda BIT was signed in Kigali in 2008 and the United States Senate unanimously approved the treaty on September 26, 2011. The treaty provides investors with legal protections that underscore the two countries’ shared commitment to open investment and trade policies. These protections include non-discriminatory treatment of investors and investments; the right to freely transfer investment-related funds; prompt, adequate, and effective compensation in the event of an expropriation; freedom from specified performance requirements, such as domestic content or technology transfer requirements; and provisions to ensure transparency in governance. The treaty also gives investors in all sectors the right to bring investment disputes to neutral, international arbitration panels. USTR and the Department of State co-led the negotiation of this treaty.

U.S. Ambassador to the World Trade Organization Attends African Union Trade Ministerial

2011-12-02T10:03:00.005-05:00

As Prepared for Delivery in Accra, Ghana

Friday December 2, 2011

“Ministers, ambassadors, ladies, and gentlemen, I want to thank our host -- the African Union and Trade Minister Tetteh -- for inviting the United States to participate in this ministerial meeting. The United States has participated in each of the last several AU trade ministerials, and we very much appreciate the opportunity for a constructive policy dialogue with our African partners.

“Ambassador Kirk regrets that he could not attend this meeting today. But, he wanted me to assure each of you that the United States is committed to its trade and investment partnerships with all the countries of Africa, including through our work together at the World Trade Organization.

“Under President Obama’s leadership, the United States will continue to participate in global initiatives that seek to positively shape and improve the global trading system. Clearly, two-way trade is essential to American economic growth and success. The United States intends to engage globally to reach its full potential for employment and economic growth. With global economic recovery still fragile, such engagement is increasingly necessary for all of us to support growth, promote job creation, and reap the economic benefits that come with a resurgence of trade. The ability to participate in fast-growing markets abroad and in our traditional markets is crucial for the United States.

“We also believe that trade is an important engine for economic growth of developing countries, including those in Africa. By opening the vast U.S. market and providing support in building trade capacity, the United States is enhancing our trade relationship with developing countries and emerging economies around the world and, thereby, supporting their economic growth and development.

“The United States is strongly committed to strengthening its economic engagement with Africa. We are working in partnership with African countries and regional organizations to tackle the many challenges we face in our global economic trading system. We remain committed to promoting Africa’s economic growth through trade, and the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) has been a critical pillar in growing the U.S. economic relationship with sub-Saharan African nations. Since its launch in 2000, AGOA has provided opportunities for real people and businesses, and contributed to the growth of African economies through expanded and diversified trade. Last year, non-oil imports under AGOA totaled $4 billion, an18 percent annual increase, and included value-added products such as apparel, footwear, processed agricultural products, and manufactured goods.

“This past summer, Ambassador Kirk announced a new Aid for Trade initiative, the African Competitiveness and Trade Expansion Initiative, or “ACTE,” which is helping to expand and diversify both U.S.-African and intra-African trade. ACTE is intensifying and sharply focusing the work of our African Trade Hubs, including the one here in Accra that some of you have had the pleasure to visit. Our regional Trade Hubs are strategically located in Ghana, Senegal, Botswana, and Kenya. The Trade Hubs help make African producers more competitive by tackling cross-cutting problems in finance, transport, governance, business environment, and telecommunications. And the Hubs are also helping to increase productive capacity and exports in fast-growing non-oil sectors such as apparel, footwear, and value-added agricultural products. The ACTE initiative is the latest in a series of comes on top of our other Aid for Trade initiatives with our African partners. Over the last eight years, the United States has committed over $2.3 billion of trade capacity building assistance to sub-Saharan Africa, including over $735 million in FY2010 alone.

“Our Aid-for-Trade efforts include the Millennium Challenge Corporation, which actually accounts for the majority of U.S. Aid for Trade. MCC works in partnership with eligible countries that have identified the constraints to their own development and established their own priorities to create sustainable economic growth. Many MCC partner countries have made increasing their competiveness and facilitating regional and international trade a major priority. As a result, approximately $4.7 billion—66 percent—of total MCC assistance to its partner countries since 2005 was Aid for Trade, and well over half of MCC compacts (15 of 23) are with African countries. In addition, consistent with the mandate for the WTO trade facilitation negotiations, many MCC compacts involve significant investments in infrastructure, and MCC assistance contributes over $2.8 billion to U.S. efforts to support trade facilitation reforms. To this end, we also launched the Partnership for Trade Facilitation in November, a new, flexible funding facility to assist developing countries in the implementation of trade facilitation commitments currently subject to WTO negotiations.

“These are just some of the ways the United States is using its trade policy agenda to fuel economic growth. During the past six decades, the benefits of world trade have moved hundreds of millions of people out of poverty and into the global middle class. We firmly believe that increased trade holds the promise of boosting economic development and improving lives around the world.

“It is precisely because of trade’s vital role in promoting global prosperity, that there is so much frustration and disappointment that the many good expectations and huge promise created at the launch of the Doha negotiations have not yet come to fruition.

“Clearly the negotiations are at an impasse. While everyone has their own diagnosis as to why this is the case, I think that it is generally understood that the key problem is a disagreement among the major players as to the appropriate level of commitments that each should undertake. We are not, as some have suggested, insisting that the emerging economies be treated the same as developed economies. However, we do believe that these countries are now major players in international trade and that their commitments need to be reflective of this fact. African nations have a large stake in this debate because these emerging markets are going to be where the major growth and trade opportunities will be in the coming decades. Throughout the Doha negotiations we have been very conscious that we are setting the rules of the game that we’ll all have to live with for at least the next 20 years. The stakes are particularly high – as we all need a result that creates the new trade flows necessary to drive economic growth, foster development and create jobs. This is why we have been so insistent on getting this right.

“While the diagnosis of the situation is pretty clear, the cure is not. No one is looking to give up on Doha. The objectives that we all set for ourselves at Doha remain as valid as ever. However, it is clear that business as usual isn’t going to move us forward. That’s why G20 Leaders at Cannes called for us to look for fresh, credible approaches. We must face the fact that what we’ve been doing is not working so we need to look for new innovative ways of moving forward. Does this mean giving up on issues and elements that are near and dear to our friends in Africa, and the rest of the developing world? Absolutely not! What it does mean is that we need to get creative to find ways to break the impasse so that we can deliver results. President Obama is a committed multilateralist and his instructions to Ambassador Kirk and me from the day he took office have been to push for the best possible outcome in Doha. But we can’t do it all by ourselves. People used to complain because they thought that the U.S. and the EU basically controlled what happened in multilateral trade negotiations. While that was always more myth than fact, I think it is clear to everyone that the leadership circle has widened. We are constantly reminded that with leadership comes responsibility. We fully accept that but we believe that everyone else in a leadership position will have to embrace it too if we are to succeed.

“The United States looks forward to a constructive and thoughtful process of assessment and reflection over the coming months. Though reflective, this process needs to be active.

“African Members, in particular, who arguably have as much at stake as any other group of WTO Members, have an important role to play. Only with Africa’s robust participation we there be an ambitious Doha result that opens markets and creates new trade flows for all WTO Members.

“A strong, ambitious, market-opening agreement would make an important contribution to global economic recovery and sustainable growth that is widely shared. It is up to us to create a framework that maximizes trade’s important role in leading economic growth, development and job creation. Working together, we can find a way forward and realize Doha’s full potential for advancing economic growth and development. We look forward to hearing your views and working with you on the full range of issues in the true spirit of our partnership.

“Thank you.”

U.S. Launches An Africa Nursing Education Partnership Initiative

2011-11-21T12:43:00.001-05:00

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Office of the Spokesperson

For Immediate Release November 17, 2011

United States Addresses Human Resources for Health in Africa with Launch of the Nursing Education Partnership Initiative (NEPI)

On November 17, the United States formally announced the Nursing Education Partnership Initiative (NEPI) in Lilongwe, Malawi. The NEPI, established in 2010, was launched publically, culminating a three-day workshop on strategies to enhance the number and quality of nursing and midwifery professionals in areas of Africa where they are needed most.

The launch highlighted NEPI agreements the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has made with Malawi, Zambia, Lesotho, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Representatives from Ministries of Health in these countries as well as leaders from nursing and midwifery schools, educators, professional associations, professional councils, and U.S. officials participated in the launch. Discussion focused on improving the education of nurses and midwives in order to increase the number of qualified health professionals capable of meeting the health care needs of today’s African communities and families.

NEPI was created in 2010 by the Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator (OGAC) in the U.S. Department of State, along with a Medical Education Partnership Initiative intended to improve training for physicians. Through NEPI, administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), PEPFAR committed $33 million over five years for the five countries. This funding will strengthen the quality and capacity of nursing and midwifery education institutions, increase the number of highly skilled nurses and midwives, and support innovative nursing retention strategies in African countries.

In partnership with Ministries of Health and country stakeholders, PEPFAR supports NEPI through HRSA and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), as well as interagency PEPFAR country teams. The ICAP Nurse Capacity Initiative (INCI) led by ICAP at Columbia University, implements NEPI programs in partner countries.

To learn more about the NEPI program, go to: www.pepfar.gov/initiatives.

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US Addresses Human Resources for Health In Africa With Launch Of The Nursing Education Partnership Initiative (NEPI)

2011-11-18T00:08:00.003-05:00

Media Note

Office of the Spokesperson

Washington, DC

November 17, 2011

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Secretary Clinton's Statement On Elections In Liberia

2011-11-15T19:48:00.001-05:00

November 15, 2011

On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I want to congratulate the Liberian people for exercising their right to vote in last week's presidential and legislative elections. These historic elections are important milestones on Liberia's path toward democratic reconciliation. The United States congratulates President Sirleaf on her re-election and we will continue to work with her and all elected officials to advance democracy, and promote peace and prosperity.

The United States commends the National Elections Commission for conducting free, fair, and transparent elections. We applaud the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the African Union and others for sending observers to monitor the elections, as well as the UN Mission in Liberia for promoting security during the electoral process.

The violence on November 7th marred this otherwise peaceful process, so we welcome the creation of a Special Independent Commission of Inquiry to investigate the incident. We are also deeply disappointed by the Congress for Democratic Change’s decision to boycott the run-off election in an attempt to delegitimize the election. We urge all political parties to respect the election results and resolve their differences peacefully.

The United States is a long standing friend of the Liberian people and we are committed to their future. Congratulations on this momentous occasion.

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