Photo courtesy of AP Photo/Saul Loeb
Gullele Botanic Park
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
May 3, 2014
Hallelujah, thank you very much for a spectacular introduction. Thank
you for even getting out of the city and up into the mountains. And
everything is so beautiful. This is an extraordinary building, and I
just had the pleasure of walking out on the veranda here and enjoying
the view. I understand this is the first green building, totally green
building. So I congratulate the Gullele Botanical Gardens, and I
particularly congratulate the University of Addis Ababa. Thank you, Mr.
President, for being here. And thank you, all of you, for treading up
the hill to join me this morning. I saw a couple of donkeys out there.
Did some of you come up on the donkeys? (Laughter.) But a lot of buses
and cars, and I am very, very appreciative.
It’s really good to be back in Addis, and I want to thank the Prime
Minister and — Foreign Minister Tedros and Prime Minister Hailemariam
for a very generous welcome. And I want to thank them particularly for
their terrific support in efforts not just with our development
challenges and the challenges of Ethiopia itself, but also the
challenges of South Sudan, the challenges of Somalia, the challenges of
leadership on the continent and beyond.
I was here last spring to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the
African Union and it was an appropriate time to take note of the meaning
behind the AU’s significant emblem, the red rings that remind us all of
the blood that was shed for an Africa that is free, and the palm leaves
that remind us of the fact that the blood was not just shed for
freedom, but it was shed for peace. And then the gold that symbolizes
the promise of natural resources and economic potential. Today, as I
come here to this hilltop, it’s important to understand how we will
fulfill the promise of still another symbol of the African Union’s
crest, the interlocking rings of green that embody all of Africa’s hopes
and dreams.
These are the dreams I believe absolutely can be realized if we are,
all of us, together, prepared to make the right choices. And it is a
matter of choice. There is no pre-determined destiny out there that
pushes us in a direction; this is up to the will of the people, and the
will of leaders. We need to make certain that we grab the choice that
seizes the future, and we need to refuse to be dragged back into the
past.
I have absolutely no doubt that this could be an inflection point for
the new Africa, a time and a place where Africans bend the arc of
history towards reform, and not retribution; towards peace and
prosperity, not revenge and resentment. And it’s important to
acknowledge — at least I feel it’s important to acknowledge candidly —
that for too long the ties between the United States and
Africa were
largely rooted in meeting the challenges and the crises of a particular
moment. But we’re discovering that, at the beginning of the 21st
century, we both want a lasting and more grounded relationship, one that
is not reflective, but visionary and strategic.
And for many Americans, Africa was too long a faraway place on a map,
a destination for philanthropy, an occasional and harrowing image on
the TV screen of starvation and war, a place of distance and some
mystery. The fact is that today Africa is increasingly a destination for
American investment and tourism, that African institutions are
increasingly leading efforts to solve African problems. All of this
underscores that dramatic transformations are possible, that prosperity
can replace poverty, that cooperation can actually triumph over
conflict.
But even as we celebrate this progress, we are also meeting at a time
of continued crisis. Conflicts in South Sudan, which I visited
yesterday, Central African Republic, Mali, the Democratic Republic of
Congo, the events that we’ve just seen in Nigeria, these are among some
of the things that are preventing millions of Africans from realizing
their full potential. And in some places they are plunging the continent
back into the turmoil of the past.
Now, some things are absolutely certain as we look at this panorama:
Africa has the resources; Africa has the capacity; Africa has the
know-how. The questions that Africa faces are similar to those
confronting countries all over the world: do we have the political will,
the sense of common purpose, to address our challenges? Are we prepared
to make the hard choices that those challenges require?
The continent’s course is ultimately up to you. It’s up to Africans.
But we firmly believe that the United States is Africa’s natural
partner. One thing we know for sure, the United States could be a vital
catalyst in this continent’s continued transformation, and President
Obama is committed to that transformation.
The United States is blessed to be the world’s epicenter for
innovation. Africa is home to many of the fastest-growing economies in
the world. There is no limit to what we can accomplish together by
working together, and cooperating, and setting out a strategy, and
agreeing to have a vision, and join it in common purpose. And though we
never forget — we never forget — how our first ties were forged in some
of the darkest chapters of human history, we still start from a strong
foundation.
Now, I’m sure that some of you have seen that in your travels,
hopefully across the United States. Whether it is Little Senegal in Los
Angeles, or the Somali community in Minneapolis, or the Ethiopian
community in Washington, DC, Africans are making American culture
richer, and our economy stronger, and contributing to the future
chapters of American history. It’s time to make sure that we build on
this deep connection; it’s time that we take these connections to the
next level by investing in the future of this continent.
And when we know, as we do, that Africa will have a larger workforce
than India or China by 2040, then it is time for us to get ahead of the
curve, to invest in education for the vast numbers of young people, and
the increasing numbers of people demanding their part of that future. It
is time to build a more open exchange of ideas and information that
leads to partnership and innovation. President Obama’s Young African
Leaders Initiative — I had a chance to meet a number of them, they will
be coming to Washington in August — YALI, is designed to harness this
energy, and it’s one example of how some of these efforts are already
well underway. YALI is bringing leadership and networking to thousands
of young people across the continent. And I am very, very pleased that
many of you who are here today are participating in YALI, and that four
of you will come and join us this summer as part of the first class of
the Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders.
I was particularly impressed, frankly, by one of the stories of these
young women, Haleta Giday. Perhaps it’s because Haleta is a prosecutor,
and I used to be a prosecutor in my early career. But she graduated
from Jimma University, which you all know is one of the best schools in
Ethiopia. And the fact is that she had her pick of any lucrative job
that she wanted to do, right here in the capital. Instead, she chose to
represent women and children who were victims of violence. And when
Haleta saw how many widows went bankrupt after they lost their husbands,
she began a campaign to educate women about their legal and financial
rights.
Just consider what Haleta has witnessed over the course of her young
life: she spent her first years in a nation traumatized by famine.
Today, Ethiopia is one of the world’s fastest growing economies. Since
Haleta arrived on her first day of school, the number of democratic
governments in Africa has tripled. Since she left high school, banking
assets have more than doubled. And since Haleta graduated from
university, Africa’s telecommunications market has doubled in size. She
has already lived a remarkable life, and she’s doing amazing work here
in Ethiopia. What’s more remarkable is she is one of many young leaders
across this continent who are proving their mettle by taking on some of
the toughest challenges.
So this is clearly a moment of opportunity for all Africans. It is
also a moment of decision, because it’s the decisions that are made or
the decisions that are deferred that will ultimately determine whether
Africa mines the continent’s greatest natural resource of all, which is
not platinum, it’s not gold, it’s not oil, it is the talent of its
people. Africa’s potential comes from the ability of its citizens to
make a full contribution, no matter their ethnicity, no matter who they
love, or what faith they practice. This continent is strong because of
the diversity and the dynamism of the people. The nations in Africa,
like nations all over the world, are strongest when citizens have a say,
when citizens’ voices can be a part of the political process, when they
have a stake in their nation’s success.
Over the next three years, 37 of the 54 African nations will hold
national elections, including 15 presidential elections. Millions of
Africans will be going the polls, selecting their leaders in free and
fair elections, and that will have a dramatic impact and show the world
the power of this moment for Africa. These elections, I promise you, are
vitally important. But elections cannot be the only moment, the only
opportunity, for citizens to be able to help shape the future. Whether a
citizen can engage with their government, not just on Election Day, but
every day, whether or not they can engage with their fellow citizens in
political discussion and debate and dialogue every week, every month,
these are the questions that matter profoundly to Africa’s future.
The African Union is working to answer “yes” to all of these
questions. “Good governance, democracy, and the right to development,”
these are enshrined in universal rights, and the African Union’s charter
represents that and reflects that. The AU has also gone to great
lengths in order to highlight the corrosive effect of corruption, both
in the public square, as well as corruption in the marketplace. To the
AU’s great credit, they have reported that corruption costs Africans
tens of billions of dollars, if not more. And that money — every one of
you knows that money could build new schools, new hospitals, new
bridges, new roads, pipes, power lines. That’s why it is a
responsibility for citizens in Africa and in all nations to demand that
public money is providing services for all, not lining the pockets of a
few.
And that is why it is so important for all of us everywhere, in our
country, your country, and elsewhere, to fight against public corruption
and corruption in the marketplace. Our cooperation is essential in
order to protect economic growth that is shared by everybody in order to
provide opportunity for all individuals in Africa. And, as you well
know, fighting corruption is difficult. It takes courage. It sometimes
has its risks. But fighting corruption lifts more than a country’s
balance sheet. Transparency and accountability attract greater
investment.
Transparency and accountability create a more competitive marketplace,
one where ideas and products are judged by the market and by their
merits, and not by backroom deals or bribes. That is an environment
where innovators and entrepreneurs flourish, I promise you.
The United States has learned through its own experience that
entrepreneurship is an essential driver of prosperity and of freedom.
That’s why President Obama launched the Global Entrepreneurship Summit,
which this fall will bring some of the world’s brightest minds to
Morocco. Last year I had the pleasure of being in Kuala Lumpur for that
meeting, for the same meeting. And I was stunned by the 15,000 young
people screaming like they were in a rock concert or something, all
challenged by the prospect of themselves becoming or being the next
Steve Jobs or the next Bill Gates. It was unbelievable to feel their
energy and enthusiasm.
And they are all connected, all these kids are connected. Everybody
shares everything with everybody else in the world, all of the time. And
that changes politics, and it changes business, and it changes
perceptions. It changes hopes and dreams and aspirations. And every
political leader needs to be tuned in to that reality, because that’s
what we saw in Tunisia, that’s what we saw in Egypt. That’s what we’re
still seeing in Syria, where young people came out, asking for a future.
We want to make certain that every country can provide young people
the ability to be able to take an idea and turn it into a business. And
we know beyond any doubt that the places where people are free not just
to develop an idea, but to debate different ideas, to transform the best
ideas into a reality, those are the societies that are most successful.
Now, this success is not a mystery, and it’s not something that is hard
to achieve, if you make the right choices. This success is possible for
all of Africa. This new Africa is within everybody’s reach. But a new
Africa will not emerge without becoming a more secure Africa.
In too many parts of the continent, a lack of security, the threat of
violence, or all-out war prevent the shoots of prosperity from
emerging. The burdens of past divisions might not disappear entirely, my
friends. But they must never be allowed to bury the future. The African
Union’s commitment to silence the guns of Africa by 2020 is an
ambitious goal. It is the right goal. It is a vision worth fighting for,
and one that we will do everything in our power to help you achieve,
and that’s why we will continue to provide financial and logistical
support to African Union-led efforts in Somalia, where al-Shahaab is
under significant pressure. That’s why we will continue to support the
African Union Regional Task Force against the Lord’s Resistance Army,
where LRA-related deaths have dropped by 75 percent, and hundreds of
thousands have returned to their homes. And that’s why we are working to
strengthen Nigeria’s institutions and its military to combat Boko
Haram, and their campaign of terror and violence.
Let me be clear. The kidnapping of hundreds of children by Boko Haram
is an unconscionable crime, and we will do everything possible to
support the Nigerian government to return these young women to their
homes and to hold the perpetrators to justice. I will tell you, my
friends, I have seen this scourge of terror across the planet, and so
have you. They don’t offer anything except violence. They don’t offer a
health care plan, they don’t offer schools. They don’t tell you how to
build a nation, they don’t talk about how they will provide jobs. They
just tell people, “You have to behave the way we tell you to,” and they
will punish you if you don’t.
Our responsibility and the world’s responsibility is to stand up
against that kind if nihilism. That is the reason that we have committed
up to $100 million to support AU and French forces in Central African
Republic to push back, as well as $67 million in humanitarian
assistance. It’s why we support wholeheartedly the Framework Peace
Process and the leadership of Angola and the 10 other African nations to
resolve the root causes of conflict in the Great Lakes. Through our
Special Envoy to the Great Lakes, a former Senator, a friend of mine
that I appointed, Russ Feingold, the United States has been supporting
the burgeoning dialogue that is now taking place, and we have already
helped to broker the demobilization of M23. We stand ready to support
all efforts that help the parties stay on a peaceful path.
Yesterday I was in South Sudan. I was there at the birth of the
nation, at the referendum. I know President Kiir, I know the hopes and
aspirations of the people there. And I saw yesterday how a nation that
once had a hopeful vision for the future can be challenged by old
grudges degenerating into violence by personal ambition, by greed that
gets in the way of the hopes of all of the people.
I expressed my grave concerns to President Kiir about the deliberate
killings of civilians on both sides of the conflict and he agreed to
embark on negotiations to form a transitional government that can lead
the nation back from the abyss. I congratulate him for his willingness
to do that, and I look forward, as the world will, to watching him lead
the nation back from this abyss. I also called the former Vice
President, Riek Machar, and I urged him to do the same, to come to Addis
Ababa in the near term, and to engage in these direct talks in order to
move South Sudan to its rightful future.
If both sides do not take bold steps to end the violence, they risk
plunging South Sudan into greater desperation and even famine. And that
famine could be right around the corner if we don’t turn the corner
ourselves in the next days. They will completely destroy what they claim
they are fighting for if we do not make a difference now. Both sides
must do more to facilitate the work of those providing humanitarian
assistance. The UN, UNMIS, and all organizations that are urgently
providing aid must be supported and protected and not demonized, the way
they have been.
Once again, African nations are all working hard to try to forge a
regional solution through the AU’s Commission of Inquiry and IGAD
Monitoring and Verification Mechanisms. And in the days to come I will
continue my personal engagement with both sides, and it is imperative
that both sides abide by the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement, and
implement it as fully as possible. The international community must stay
committed to the people of South Sudan and see them through this time
of incredible difficulty.
Preventing new conflicts also requires coordination to confront the
causes of conflict, including food insecurity and famine and, obviously,
poverty. Africa has 60 percent of the world’s arable land. Just think
about that. That is a tremendous opportunity for the future, not just to
feed Africa’s people, but to feed the world. The United States wants to
help Africa seize this opportunity by making investments in
agribusiness and in crops with greater yields and greater resistance to
extreme weather.
With Feed the Future, which was built on the foundation that was laid
by the African Union with your own Comprehensive African Agriculture
Development Program, the United States is investing several billion
dollars to improve seed quality, to enhance farming methods, to protect
against soil erosion, and link small farmers to the marketplace. To
underscore the importance of these commitments, the AU has made 2014 the
year of agriculture and food security.
But it is no exaggeration to say that the greatest risk to African
agriculture, and even to our way of life, not just in Africa but on this
planet, comes from the potential ravages of climate change.
According to the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change,
portions of Mombasa, Dakar, Monrovia, and dozens of other coastal cities
could be under water by the middle of this century. Yields from
rain-fed agriculture in parts of Africa could decline by 50 percent. An
additional 100 million people or more will be living without water or
under greater water duress as a result of the changes from climate.
When 97 percent of scientists agree that the climate is changing, and
that humans are responsible for much of the change, and that it is
happening faster than predicted, let me tell you something: We need to
listen to that 97 percent, and we need to act. And when this continent
produces less carbon than almost any other nation, when the continent
produces less carbon than almost any other nation, but has the most to
lose climate change, it is true there is an inherent unfairness to that
equation. And there can be no doubt about it: greater prosperity in
Africa is going to demand greater energy supply. So, citizens in Africa
will have to make certain that the mistakes that we make, the mistakes
that other developed nations have made, that those are not repeated,
that the mistakes that created this moment of urgency for the world are
not repeated on this continent.
The United States wants to support Africa’s efforts to develop more
sustainably, even as we move to do so ourselves, and move to curb our
emissions. And that’s why, as part of the President’s bold Power Africa
Initiative, a partnership that will pump billions of dollars into the
continent’s energy sector, we are working with programs such as the
U.S.-Africa Clean Energy Finance Initiative. We’re leveraging public
resources and private resources to support $1 billion in clean energy
investment from the private sector. Climate change is a global
challenge, and it’s going to threaten this continent and all continents
in profound ways if it is not matched by global cooperative action.
We will — we face this challenge remembering that we’ve come together
before to confront a borderless, generational crisis, one in which I am
proud to say we are now winning. So when someone suggests that we are
impotent to combat climate change here on Africa’s soil, remind them
that we already turned back armies of indifference and denial in the
fight against AIDS.
I’ve worked with some of you in this battle since the 1990s. It was
15 years ago when I co-authored the first Africa AIDS legislation which
later became the foundation for PEPFAR. Back then, what I saw this week
at Gandhi Memorial Hospital that I visited a couple days ago, that would
have been unthinkable back then. Because of the commitment of local
doctors and healthcare professionals, and with PEPFAR’s sustained
support, we have dramatically reduced the number of young children
infected with HIV. And the fact is that we have — we are — I think we
were about, what, 15,000 children were receiving antiretroviral drugs
back in 2004. Today, there are more than 330,000 receiving them. The
number of people living with HIV has been reduced by one-third. And,
remarkably, we are on the cusp of witnessing the first generation of
children who will be born AIDS-free because of what we have learned to
do.
There was a sign I saw yesterday at the hospital — or the day before
yesterday. It was — it read, “Ethiopia and the United States of America
investing in a healthy future together.” My friends, that sign tells it
all. It tells us what’s possible, it tells us what we’re doing together.
It tells us what’s possible in all of our endeavors together.
Achieving President Obama’s goal for an AIDS-free generation would
have been the most distant dream. I tell you it was back when we first
started talking about doing something about AIDS. Back then it was a
death sentence, and back then it was almost a death sentence for
politicians talking about it. They didn’t want to hear about it. But
despite the difficulties that lie ahead — and there are still
difficulties — this goal is now within our reach. So don’t let anybody
tell you we can’t do something about climate change or these other
things.
In fact, in so many ways, Africa is on the move. And that is why
investment is moving here from all over the world. IBM has invested $100
million in Big Data on the continent. IBM’s initiatives are helping
Africans to find ways to streamline the work of their businesses and
governments, to provide more effective and efficient services. Microsoft
is investing in what it calls “Mawingu,” the Swahili word for cloud, to
develop cloud computing and storage in Kenya that could be expanded to
additional African nations. Google is exploring ways to develop
underused spectrum in order to deliver broadband Internet access to
remote communities.
And it was here in Addis Ababa that we launched a formal review of
the African Growth and Opportunity Act, in order to determine where to
take AGOA for the future. President Obama is committed to a seamless
renewal of AGOA, as it continues to serve as a vital link in order to
facilitate trade between our countries.
I say this unabashedly, too: we want more American companies to be
here, to invest, both to unleash the power of the private sector in
Africa, and, yes, to create jobs in America at the same time. Now, we’ve
seen time and again: when we help nations stand on their own two feet,
we share in their success. Out of our 15 largest trading partners today,
11 are former recipients of American aid. They are now donor countries.
That is the transformation that can be made.
The transformation from aid to trade has been a powerful driver of
American prosperity, as well as global growth. And that’s what we saw
take root from our partnerships in Europe after World War II, when
America came in and we helped to rebuild Germany (inaudible) before the
war, helped to rebuild Japan (inaudible) before the war, helped to
rebuild Europe that was crushed by the war. We have seen this same kind
of resurgence in Asia, where American investment and partnership helped
underwrite their incredible rise. And today, that’s what we’re beginning
to see here Africa.
When people say that the kind of development that happened in Europe
and Asia can’t happen here, we just plain disagree: it’s already
happening. Africans are shaping their future for themselves. You are
shaping it for yourselves. And we want to share in your effort and help
to provide and drive for a shared prosperity that reaches these millions
of young people who need education and jobs. That’s one of the reasons
I’ve come to Addis today, and why I’m traveling across the continent
from the Horn of Africa to the Atlantic coast in the next couple of
days.
So this is a very important time for us both. This summer we will
further advance the vital work that we are undertaking together with the
Africa Leaders’ Summit. This summit will be the first of its kind.
Never before will so many leaders from such a diverse cross-section of
the African Continent come together with the President of the United
States and leaders from all across American society in the United
States. It’s an historic gathering that matches the remarkable
importance of this particular moment.
The theme of this Summit will be “Investing in the Next Generation.”
And I am pleased to see that generation is so well represented
here
today, with the younger participants from YALI that I mentioned earlier.
These young African leaders are the future. And I have to tell you,
when we introduced YALI, we were stunned by the response. We put out
this notion of young African leaders and invited people to come to
Washington. And guess what, 50,000 young people responded and applied to
be a part of this program. We could only take 500. So, what we need to
do is make sure those other 49,500, and for millions beyond them, are
able to be reached.
That is the kind of commitment that actually inspired a young Bobby
Kennedy. Some of you may remember when he came to South Africa during
some of that country’s darkest days. And he challenged the young
audience at Cape Town University to muster the courage and the
determination to confront their generation’s most daunting challenges.
He said: “The world demands the qualities of youth: not a time of life,
but a state of mind, a temper of the will, a quality of the imagination,
a predominance of courage over timidity, of the appetite for adventure
over the love of ease.”
It’s that spirit, it’s those qualities, it’s that appetite that I
guarantee you will propel the next generation of Africans to tackle
today’s greatest challenges. And as they do so, the United States of
America will stand beside them, bound together by a shared future, a
common purpose, and a shared destiny.
So, I say to you, thank you. (Speaks in foreign language.) Thank you very much. (Applause.)
