Africa
Related issues:
18 November 2009 White
House Senior Adviser Gavin Discusses U.S.-Angolan Relations There are new opportunities ahead in U.S.-Angolan relations. A
spirit of partnership exists that is focused on the future rather than the past,
and the United States wants to be a responsible partner and capitalize on opportunities
that now exist to move the bilateral relationship forward, says President Obama’s
senior White House adviser on African affairs, Michelle Gavin.
09 November 2009 African
Migrants Invest in Their Home Countries Washington Investment
in their home countries by migrants from Africa is contributing to economic growth
on the impoverished continent. This business development has caught the attention
of African governments, development agencies and the world’s largest cash-transfer
company, Western Union Company, which are working to facilitate such investment.
27 October 2009 U.S. Mission to African
Union Shows Commitment to Africa The United States was the first
major non-African country to appoint a full-time ambassador to the African Union
(AU), and that shows the importance the people of the United States attach to their
partnership with the people of Africa, says the U.S. ambassador to the African
Union, Michael Battle.
19 October 2009 Sudan: A Critical
Moment, a Comprehensive Approach Outlines critical lessons learned,
U.S. strategic objectives and actions.
19 October 2009
Sudan Policy Aims at Ending Genocide, Implementing
Peace Accord Secretary of
State Hillary Rodham Clinton unveiled a “comprehensive” U.S.
policy for resolving the conflicts in Sudan, focused on ending human rights
abuses and genocide in the Darfur region, fully implementing the Comprehensive
Peace Agreement (CPA) between the government and the Sudan People’s Liberation
Movement (SPLM) and ensuring Sudan does not become a haven for violent extremists.
19 October 2009 Statement of President Barack Obama on Sudan Strategy
08 October 2009 Officials Say Somali Piracy Is Declining In 2008, Somali pirates captured more than 100 large commercial vessels in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, provoking a massive international response. Today, some 40 warships patrol Somali waters. The patrols and other measures have helped decrease successful hijacking more than 90 percent. Monsoon winds also contributed to the reduction, but U.S. maritime officials warn hijackings may increase now that the regional monsoon season has ended.
09 September 2009 Envoy Gration Seeks Deal for Peace Accord in Sudan U.S. Special Envoy for Sudan Scott Gration is in Juba, Southern Sudan, to hold talks with the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement and President Omar Hassan al-Bashir’s National Congress Party on two sticking points to implementation of a broader 2005 peace accord, the State Department announced. Gration is traveling to Sudan September 9–14 and is visiting Juba, Boma, Darfur and Khartoum. His travel comes as the United States is near announcing a new policy on Sudan, and the troubled Darfur region.
02 September 2009 Reforming African Economies Continue to Reap Benefits Although total U.S. trade with sub-Saharan Africa (exports plus imports) declined in the first four months of 2009 compared with the same period in 2008, largely as a result of the global economic crisis, many sub-Saharan African countries continue to reap benefits from changes to their economic policies, improved governance and investments in key social sectors undertaken during the past decade.
20 August 2009 Clinton Focus on Food Security in Africa Extends Worldwide Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s focus on food security and development on her recent trip to Africa extends to other parts of the world, such as Latin America and Asia, where the U.S. government continues to provide billions of dollars’ worth of assistance.
13 August 2009 Liberia Is Model for Post-Conflict Transformation, Clinton Says Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says that after emerging from a 14-year civil war, Liberia is a model to other countries that are transitioning from conflict, praising the country’s reform, reconstruction and reconciliation efforts, as well as the government’s actions against corruption.
12 August 2009 United States Pledges $17 Million to Aid Rape Survivors in DRC The United States will provide $17 million to help survivors of rape and prevent sexual violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced during an unprecedented visit to the eastern city of Goma. Clinton, the first U.S. secretary of state to visit the war-ravaged eastern Kivu region in the DRC, met individually August 11 with two rape survivors, and then attended a roundtable discussion with medical providers, health care activists and other Congolese now living in camps after fleeing the fighting in the DRC's long-running conflict.
12 August 2009 Clinton Calls for Enhanced Political Reforms in Nigeria Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton encouraged Nigeria to implement needed democratic reforms while also reducing corruption and graft in the most populous nation in Africa. "It is critical for the people of Nigeria, first and foremost, but indeed for the United States that Nigeria succeeds in fulfilling its promise," Clinton said at an August 12 press conference in Abuja that followed a meeting with Nigerian Foreign Minister Ojo Maduekwe.
11 August 2009 No Excuses for Gender-Based Violence, Clinton Tells DRC Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton condemned the "terrible trend" of sexual and gender-based violence used as a tool of war, and said leaders in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and other governments in the region, as well as nonstate entities, need to make a "concerted effort" to prevent and discourage sexual violence.
10 August 2009 United States, Angola Commit to HIV/AIDS Partnership Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is using her seven-nation African tour to emphasize the United States' commitment to combating HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa, signing a new AIDS framework with the government of Angola and visiting HIV-positive patients at a U.S.-sponsored clinic in South Africa.
09 August 2009 Targeted U.S. Sanctions on Zimbabwe to Continue, Clinton Says The Obama administration is continuing to target Zimbabwe's leadership with economic sanctions in an effort to influence their behavior, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says. During an August 8 visit to the Victoria Mxenge Housing Development near Cape Town, South Africa, Clinton said she and President Obama believe "the leadership under President [Robert] Mugabe has turned its back on its own people."
08 August 2009 South Africa Uniquely Positioned to Spur African Economic Growth South Africa's financial and economic success translates into both a responsibility and an opportunity for the country to help its African neighbors achieve their own development potential, says Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. Speaking in Johannesburg, South Africa, August 7 to the International Development Corporation, Clinton said "it isn’t easy to find countries with financial and economic policies that have been as sound as South Africa’s," and the country is "uniquely positioned to advance its own economic trajectory and to propel economic growth on the African continent as a whole."
08 August 2009 Clinton Celebrates Strength of Women in Africa Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, visiting South Africa as part of a seven-nation tour of Africa, used an evening in Pretoria to focus on and celebrate one of the continent’s greatest strengths: its women. Clinton was an honored guest at a gala dinner commemorating South Africa’s National Women’s Day, which is celebrated August 9. The dinner was hosted by South African Foreign Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, who greeted the secretary of state upon her arrival at the Pretoria presidential guest house earlier August 7.
06 August 2009 Clinton Pledges U.S. Support to Somali Transitional Government Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton pledged continued U.S. support for the Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and called on Eritrea to halt interference in Somalia. Clinton appeared at a joint press conference at the U.S. Embassy following talks with Somali President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed. She said the talks with the TFG leader were "a thorough and productive discussion about the challenges facing his country and the efforts of the international community to support the Transitional Federal Government as it stands up for the people of Somalia and against the threat of violent extremism. "
05 August 2009 Clinton Says United States Believes in Africa’s Promise "We believe in Africa’s promise. We are committed to Africa’s future. We will be partners with Africa’s people," said Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. Addressing the opening ministerial session of the Eighth African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Forum, Clinton said the United States and Africa have "shared aspirations for greater economic growth and prosperity across the continent."
05 August 2009 Farming Is Africa’s Lifeline, Clinton Says For millions of Africans, farming is a lifeline, the only source of income and food. In remarks following a tour of the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) outside Nairobi, Clinton said, "For the global community, agricultural development could help address some of the most urgent challenges we face — chronic hunger, which afflicts nearly 1 billion people worldwide, including one in three Africans, many of whom are children." At KARI, Clinton said, scientists are developing tools to boost the productivity of Africa’s farms, which is "part of a broad strategy to strengthen the entire agricultural sector — to increase incomes, to support rural communities and to drive economic growth."
05 August 2009 President Obama’s Video Message to AGOA Forum President Obama addresses the African Growth and Opportunity Act Forum in Nairobi, Kenya
04 August 2009 Africans Must Use Trade to Fight Economic Crisis, Kenyan Says Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga, representing the host nation, officially opened the civil-society and private-sector sessions of the Eighth AGOA Forum on August 4 with the traditional Swahili welcome, "Karibu," and called for Africa to trade its way out of the global economic crisis.
04 August 2009 Civil Society, Private Sector Important to AGOA The role of civil society groups and the private sector in the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) forums and the AGOA process is more important than ever, said U.S. Ambassador to Kenya Michael Ranneberger. Addressing the combined opening session for the civil society and private sector forums at the eighth annual United States-Sub-Saharan Africa Trade and Economic Cooperation Forum, known as the AGOA Forum, Ranneberger said while both groups have always participated in AGOA meetings, "your role now is more timely and important than ever."
04 August 2009 Food Security Is Top Agenda Item on Clinton Africa Trip Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is putting a spotlight on food security and partnerships as she makes her first official visit to sub-Saharan Africa, a region that the international nongovernmental organization (NGO) World Vision says is "riddled with hunger."
04 August 2009 Company Launches Fiber-Optic Cable for Southern, Eastern Africa Southern and Eastern Africa are better connected to the rest of the world by a new underwater fiber-optic communications cable that runs off the eastern and southern coasts of Africa. With the new cable, installed by the SEACOM company, communications costs in Africa have a better chance of falling into line with the lower prices paid in other regions of the world, said SEACOM President Brian Herlihy. He spoke at the combined opening of the civil-society and private-sector sessions of the Eighth AGOA Forum in Nairobi.
03 August 2009 Clinton Africa Trip Seen Offering Opportunities Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's August 4–14, seven-nation trip to Africa presents a good opportunity to build on development partnerships set out by President Obama during his recent visit to the continent, says former Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Walter Kansteiner. Clinton's first official trip to Africa as secretary of state includes an initial stop in Kenya to attend the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Forum followed by visits to South Africa, Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Nigeria, Liberia and Cape Verde.
03 August 2009 McDermott: AGOA Forum Promotes Important Economic Interaction An annual conference such as the Eighth AGOA Forum is important because it allows Americans and Africans to openly discuss trade issues, make improvements and address any problems in their trade relationships. McDermott, whom many often informally call "the father of AGOA," said the fact that top members of President Obama's Cabinet will be attending, such as Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, sends a signal of Africa’s importance to the United States.
03 August 2009 U.S. Trade Representative on U.S.-African Growth Partnership Commentary by U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk.
03 August 2009 Kenyan Businessman Praises Benefits from AGOA Kenyan-born businessman Mike King'ori has seen the results of closer U.S.-Africa trade ties fostered under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and stands ready to further expand his own business and trade relationship with the United States. King'ori is director of marketing and operations and an owner of K-Net Flowers Ltd., a family business in Kenya that specializes in exporting cut flowers and foliage worldwide.
03 August 2009 Conflicts in Africa Exacerbate Gender-Based Atrocities When Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton heads for Africa August 4, she will focus a spotlight on the widespread problem of violence against women. Clinton is visiting seven countries in Africa, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where violence against women has been horrific. Accompanying her will be Melanne Verveer, a longtime advocate of women's rights and human rights who is the first U.S. ambassador-at-large for global women’s issues.
31 July 2009 Envoy Hails Clinton's Trip to Africa, Focus on Hunger, AGOA Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's trip to Africa, where she will emphasize the need to provide lasting food security by improving the continent's agricultural sector with American help, brings a welcome message, says Sierra Leone’s ambassador to the United States, Bockari Stevens.
30 July 2009 Clinton Will Meet with Somali Leader During AGOA Forum Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton plans to meet with President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed of Somalia's Transitional Federal Government on the sidelines at the 8th Annual AGOA Forum to show support for his efforts to restore order to the conflict-weary African nation, a senior U.S. diplomat says. Clinton will meet with Sheikh Sharif at the U.S.-Sub-Saharan Africa Trade and Economic Cooperation Forum, known more commonly as the AGOA Forum, in Nairobi, Kenya, August 4–6. The secretary is launching an 11-day, seven-nation trip to Africa to underscore the U.S. commitment to the continent.
30 July 2009 AGOA Spurs African Stock Exchanges The historic U.S. African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) has created a positive impact across sub-Saharan Africa, and one such development has been the establishment of private equity stock markets in many African countries. Robert Mathu, executive director of Rwanda's Capital Market Advisory Council, made that point in an interview with America.gov at the headquarters of the Rwanda Capital Market, which runs the country’s stock exchange.
28 July 2009 Clinton Plans Seven-Nation Africa Trip Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will begin a seven-nation trip to Africa on August 5 to highlight the U.S. commitment to sub-Saharan Africa's economic development while also emphasizing Africa as a place of opportunity, State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said.
24 July 2009 Eighth AGOA Forum More Important than Ever U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson and the Kenyan ambassador to the United States, Peter N.R.O. Ogego, formally announced July 23 that the eighth annual U.S.-Sub-Saharan African Trade and Economic Cooperation Forum will be held in Nairobi, Kenya, August 4–6 and could not be taking place at a more opportune time because of the world economic crisis.
23 July 2009 Enhanced U.S. Market Access Critical for Africa Enhanced market access to the United States — a key feature of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) — remains a "critical component" for Africa’s long-term economic growth and development, says longtime Africa trade facilitator and attorney Anthony Carroll.
14 July 2009 Regional Trade Hubs Help Foster U.S.-Africa Trade The United States operates four regional trade and competiveness hubs in sub-Saharan Africa. They aim to assist, enhance and broaden the flow of trade between the United States and the region, both inside and outside the terms of the historic African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).
14 July 2009 U.S.-Africa Trade Increased 28 Percent in 2008 U.S. trade with sub-Saharan Africa, exports plus imports, increased 28 percent in 2008 and U.S. imports under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) are becoming increasingly diversified, according to a just-released profile of U.S.-Africa trade trends.
01 July 2009 Citizen Involvement Essential to Ghana's Development Successes Committed to a democratic government that involves civil society, Ghana has become "one of the better-performing developing countries in Africa," said the top U.S. aid official in the country.
30 June 2009 AGOA Forum Seeks to Expand U.S.-Africa Trade and Investment The eighth African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Forum, which will be held in Nairobi, Kenya, August 4–6, is the only ministerial event held annually between the United States and sub-Saharan Africa, said the assistant secretary of state for African affairs, Ambassador Johnnie Carson, who said the Obama administration is seeking to strengthen and deepen America’s ties with the region.
30 June 2009 Peace Corps: "Born in America, but Learned to Walk in Ghana" The Peace Corps, one of President John F. Kennedy’s enduring legacies, was launched in Ghana in 1961. Nearly a half century later, the corps is still going strong in the West African country, with volunteers involved in teaching, health and sanitation training, natural resource management and small business development.
25 June 2009 United States Seeks Expanded Economic Growth in Africa A central objective of U.S. trade relations with sub-Saharan Africa is to create a platform for expanded African economic growth, says a senior U.S. trade official. "Sub-Saharan Africa's current share of global trade is less than 2 percent, down from 6 percent in 1980," Assistant U.S. Trade Representative Florizelle Liser testified June 24 at a congressional hearing.
25 June 2009 Guinea Worm Eradication Program Gets Results in Ghana Guinea worm disease, which has crippled millions in Africa and Asia, is nearly vanquished in Ghana, thanks to the efforts of the Carter Center, which has been working with health workers in that country over the last 20 years.
23 June 2009 President Obama’s Visit to Ghana Will Be Historic President Obama’s July 10–11 visit to Accra, Ghana, will be a "historic occasion," says Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson. He says it recognizes the progress Ghana has made — particularly in the area of democratization — which serves as an example to the rest of Africa.
17 June 2009 Special Envoy Gration Briefs on Recent Trip to Sudan Provides updates on current status of Comprehensive Peace Agreement.
12 June 2009 United States Seeks to Encourage Democracy, Growth in Zimbabwe President Obama welcomed Zimbabwe's prime minister, Morgan Tsvangirai, to the White House, praising the progress made "in very difficult circumstance" since he joined a unity government with political rival President Robert Mugabe.
11 June 2009 Obama's Cairo Speech Resonates with Africans, State's Carson Says There was widespread interest across sub-Saharan Africa in President Obama's speech June 4 from Cairo to Muslims worldwide because many of the speech themes resonated directly with Africans who look forward to participating in a "new dialogue" with the United States, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson said June 5.
22 May 2009 High-Level Engagement with Africa Has Started "High-level engagement has already started" between the Obama administration and Africa, said Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson Speaking at a gala reception in Washington marking the beginning of "Africa Week," Carson said: "Most of the Obama administration's Africa team is in place, and we are gearing up. We will continue to build on and strengthen the strong bipartisan consensus in Congress and among the people of America that has motivated U.S. policy towards Africa."
21 May 2009 U.S. Conducting High-Level Strategic Review of Somalia Strategy In Somalia, the U.S. government is determined to support the policy of political reconciliation spearheaded by the beleaguered Transitional Federal Government (TFG), Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson told Congress.
14 May 2009 Independent Electoral Commissions Strengthen Democracy in Africa Independent electoral commissions help African nations provide a level playing field during elections while building a foundation for the sustainability of democracy on the continent, democracy activists say.
13 May 2009 U.S. Africa Command Seeking Sustained Security Engagement For African nations, the role of the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) will be one of "sustained security engagement" as a more reliable partner across the continent, says Ambassador Mary Yates. Before the creation of a separate military command for Africa, the United States' military and security engagements on the continent had been episodic, said Yates said in a recent Washington Foreign Press Center briefing.
30 April 2009 Senate Committee Reviews U.S.-Africa Relationship Piracy and maritime security, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Ethiopia, corruption, and freedom of the press — all important issues in the U.S.-Africa relationship — were addressed April 29 by Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs-designate Johnnie Carson before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
05 March 2009 Sudan's Bashir Should Be Held Accountable, Says Clinton After an international court issued an arrest warrant for Sudan President Omar al-Bashir for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called for calm and reiterated America’s commitment to peace, justice and security for Africa's largest country.
05 March 2009 Obama Says Sanctions Against Zimbabwean Officials Will Continue President Obama announced that United States sanctions against Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe and his key supporters will continue, citing an "unusual and extraordinary threat" to U.S. foreign policy.
11 February 2009 United States Cautiously Welcomes Zimbabwean Unity Government The Obama administration has extended its congratulations to Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai for becoming the country’s prime minister, but says it is waiting to see evidence of true power sharing and effective governance before offering additional development assistance or easing its targeted sanctions against President Robert Mugabe and his key supporters.
29 January 2009 USAID Statement on U.S. Aid for Zimbabwe Cholera Outbreak U.S. sends $6.8 million in emergency assistance to Zimbabwe.
Naval Piracy |
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Resources:
• Frequently Asked Questions on Naval Piracy
• Resources on Combating Piracy
19 November 2009 U.S.
Welcomes Armed Repulsion of Pirate Attack The United States on November 18 welcomed the repulsion of a band of pirates by
gunfire from a private security team on a ship off the northeastern coast of Somalia.Pentagon
spokesman Bryan Whitman said the department is pleased with the success of the
team on board the Maersk Alabama, the same ship that was hijacked in April when
it did not have a security team onboard. In that incident, pirates held the ship’s
captain hostage until an elite unit of U.S. military snipers freed him.
01 June 2009 Pirate Attacks Delay Food Sent to Africans If
pirate assaults on ships carrying emergency food donations escalate, more than
10 million people in Somalia and other countries in East and Central Africa will
go hungry. Every time pirates attack these ships, as happened to the U.S.-owned
and -flagged container ship Maersk Alabama on April 8 off the coast of Somalia, it raises the prospect of additional delays.
01 June 2009 The Costs of Piracy Are Passed Along The world's largest container line says piracy is increasing its insurance costs and forcing it to pass those costs along to customers in the form of "piracy surcharges." But for cargo owners and vessel operators alike, the costs of armed, and sometimes deadly, attacks go beyond insurance to time, new expenses and business disruptions.
01 June 2009 International Community Uniting Against Pirates, Official Says Piracy off the coast of Somalia is felt worldwide, harming trade, slowing regional development and preventing humanitarian aid from reaching the poorest nations of east Africa, according to a State Department official.
04 May 2009 Young Mariners Get Up-Close Lesson in Thwarting Pirates In the 100 years the Massachusetts Maritime Academy has taught mariners to crew merchant ships, not once had pirates hijacked a U.S.-flagged vessel. Never had weapon-wielding sea bandits kidnapped an American captain. The students' anti-piracy training seemed abstract, until Somali raiders boarded the Maersk Alabama April 8.
15 April 2009 Secretary Clinton's Announcement of Counter-Piracy Initiatives “This week, the State Department is taking four immediate steps as we move forward with a broader counter-piracy strategy. But let me underscore this point: The United States does not make concessions or ransom payments to pirates.”
23 February 2009 America Builds New African Partnerships to Tackle Piracy The United States and other international partners are helping African governments confront piracy and improve maritime security on two coasts of Africa. While the waters off the coast of Somalia rank number 1 in the world for piracy and armed robbery at sea and the Gulf of Guinea on Africa’s west coast ranks closely behind in the number 2 spot, the two regions have different scenarios and different types of crime.
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Africa