Well, good morning, and it is wonderful to see all of you here today,
and I’m delighted to welcome you to the State Department and to the
United States. And I hope this is the beginning of what will be an
unforgettable three weeks.
As Assistant Secretary Carson just said, we believe strongly in the
future of Africa, of you as individuals, of your communities, and your
countries. And our goal is to be a partner and a friend as you lead the
way into the kind of future that is so well deserved. You’ve traveled
here from more than 40 nations, and you are here because of what you
have already achieved. You are leaders in many fields: the arts and
business, technology, education, journalism, and civil society. And so
we have a bet on you. And that bet is that you will use your talents and
your skills to help bring greater prosperity, progress, and a better
future to all of the people whose efforts so desperately need to be
supported.
You are here because of your potential. And as President Obama has
said, Africa is not a world apart; it is a fundamental part of our
interconnected world. And we want to do a better job of making those
interconnections and then supporting and nurturing them, because we
believe to strengthen the global economy we should look to Africa, one
of the fastest growing regions in the world. There are so many
opportunities for entrepreneurs and businesses, for trade and investment
that would be beneficial for Africans and for Americans.
We want to support the rise of democracies and give more people the
chance to live under governments of their own choosing. And to do that,
we look to Africa, where new democracies are growing stronger every day
and where citizens have found innovative methods to promote good
governance and hold leaders accountable.
And to make progress on the defining challenges of our time, like
climate change and clean energy, global health and education, preventing
violent extremism, defending human rights, once again, we look to
Africa, because African communities have been on the frontlines of these
issues for years.
For all these reasons, President Obama and his Administration has
made building strong partnerships with the nations and people of Africa a
key element of our foreign policy, because we are convinced that the
story of the 21
st century will be written in large part by
you and your fellow citizens. So we want to be of help to you on your
journeys and to support you as you chart that new future.
And the fact is you are young leaders at a time when young people are
increasingly at the heart of world events. In Africa, 60 percent of the
population is under 25. Now, that can either be a daunting statistic or
a cause for celebration. It will be daunting if they are not educated,
if they don’t have healthcare, if there are no jobs, if they cannot
participate in the political lives of their societies. But it will be
cause for celebration if young people can begin to have their voices
heard, their votes counted, and help to chart a new beginning. And we
think success will depend upon whether or not the youth of Africa, like
many places around the world, have a chance to contribute to their own
countries.
Now, we have benefited greatly in the United States because of
Africans who have left Africa to come here, who have then been business
leaders, doctors and nurses and teachers, academics and have given so
much to the United States. But we hope that that kind of emigration will
reverse and that more and more people will return home.
When I had my daughter many years ago, the midwife who worked with my
doctor was from Ghana, and I remember talking to her about why she
would come so far away. And she said, “I can have a better opportunity
for myself and my children.” Just recently, she returned to Ghana. We
want to see that happen throughout the continent, where people with
skills and education and experience and expertise go back home to join
you in making a difference.
There are many people here who have already made a difference. One of
the people here, just to cite a few examples, is Refiloe from South
Africa – where is Refiloe? Ah, Refiloe – who created a nonprofit
organization called 18twenty8, which provides young women from poor
backgrounds with educational and personal development so they then can
have the confidence and the skills to have the kind of future they
deserve.
Erikson is here from Namibia. Where is Erikson? He started making
homemade chili and barbeque sauces – I’m getting hungry. (Laughter.) –
then created a company to market them. Now they’re sold in stores
throughout your hometown, and soon, if all goes well, across your
country.
Thierno is here from Guinea. Where is Thierno? Aww, Thierno. As a
radio journalist, his investigations of drug trafficking made him known
throughout the country. Now he is creating a farm radio station to
broadcast the voices of Guinea’s many farmers.
Clarisse has joined us from Rwanda. Clarisse, hello. She is the CEO
of HeHe Limited, one of East Africa’s leading mobile development
companies, which Clarice helped found while she was a student at the
Kigali Institute of Science and Technology.
There are people here publishing books in Ethiopia, producing shoes
in Ghana, promoting foreign investment in Tanzania, monitoring high
school students in Nigeria, supporting agricultural diversity in
Guinea-Bissau, making bead and paper craft products in Cameroon, and on
and on. You get the idea. You are amongst high achievers. You are
amongst people who are already making their marks. The initiative and
ingenuity that you all share cannot be taught or imparted; it does come
from within. You have a drive, a desire, to do something with your lives
and to make that difference. But that can be nurtured, and that is what
we hope to do in the next few weeks.
In Washington, Chicago, and other cities you will visit, you’ll have
the chance to form relationships with each other and with professional
mentors, and you’ll have the chance to see more of America. And I hope
that you take it all in, because we want to see this group of young
leaders turn into a thriving network that stretches across Africa,
across the Atlantic, to America.
And we also want to learn from you. What can we do better to help
you, to help your communities, to help your countries? Assistant
Secretary Carson is a man of great wisdom and long experience. It has
been an honor for me to be working with him as his colleague. We are
very open to hearing what you believe we need to hear. This is not a
one-way broadcast. We’re looking for the opportunity to get feedback at
all levels, from the Assistant Secretary and myself to everyone with
whom you will interact.
So let me close by saying this: In your time here in America, you’ll
meet many Americans who have never been to Africa, let alone your home
countries. Many of them will not know anything about what has been
happening in Africa, all the changes that have been occurring,
everything that you and so many others have worked so hard to achieve.
They will not know about the rising prosperity, the explosion of new
businesses and technologies, the new and more secure freedoms, the
opportunities for women and girls. But they should know.
So in effect, I am deputizing you for the next three weeks to be
ambassadors, to help educate those with whom you come into contact. As
you learn, help others to learn so that we break down the walls of
ignorance and indifference, because whether we like it or not, we are
all in this together. And I believe strongly that you represent the
promise and possibility of Africa’s present and future, and I believe
that what we can do together truly will make the world a better place.
Thank you and Godspeed.
