Office of Rep. Karen Bass
Washington, DC
On November 20, more than 300 people, including members of Congress, African Ambassadors and representatives from the public and private sectors, gathered to welcome the recently appointed Assistant Secretary for African Affairs Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield. The former and first U.S. Trade Representative for Africa, Rosa Whitaker, served as the evening’s emcee.
To a standing room-only audience, members of Congress, including Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-OH), Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE), Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), Rep. Terri Sewell (D-AL), Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-NY), Rep. Donald Payne, Jr. (D-NJ), Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-FL), and Mark Meadows (R-NC), greeted the Assistant Secretary and showed their strong support for U.S.-Africa policy. Also in attendance were more than a dozen African Ambassadors. Ambassador Serge Mombouli from the Republic of Congo offered a greeting on behalf of the African Diplomatic Corps.
In her speech, the Assistant Secretary discussed AGOA, Power Africa, Trade Africa, the Young African Leaders Initiative and other U.S.-led efforts that show the strong commitment of our nation to the African continent.
The Assistant Secretary affirmed her unwavering commitment toward a strong Africa partnership by noting, “I strive every day to pursue both our long-term interests as well as deal with the near-term and urgent imperatives we face. We work closely every day with our African partners to strengthen democratic institutions beyond just the need for free, fair and transparent elections. We strive to establish environments where new entrepreneurship networks can flourish, economic opportunities can grow, and comprehensive development frameworks can take root.”
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