Clinton in Africa 2009
Secretary Clinton visited a diverse swath of countries and discussed a wide range of topics on her 11 day tour of sub-Saharan Africa, but some key messages and themes emerged. In countries as different as Kenya, Nigeria and Cape Verde, Clinton highlighted the importance of good governance, transparency and accountability in laying a foundation for development; in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) she focused on violence against women; in Liberia and South Africa she talked about the importance of overcoming these barriers and investing in women to become leaders and drivers of change across the continent; and in Angola and Kenya, trade and agricultural development topped the agenda, with the Secretary speaking at the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Forum in Nairobi and signing an agreement with Chevron, USAID and the Cooperative League of the United States of America to help develop Angola’s agricultural sector.
Clinton’s travels built on President Obama’s visit to Ghana in July, marking the earliest trips to sub-Saharan Africa by any President and Secretary of State in history. Similar to President Obama’s African visit, Secretary Clinton made no substantial announcements of new U.S. funding or sweeping new policy initiatives (though there were small packages to DRC to combat sexual violence and to Angola to spur agricultural development and combat HIV/AIDS).
President Obama’s trip was billed as the beginning of a conversation between the U.S. and Africa, an effort by the Administration to integrate Africa into its regular foreign policy dialogue. Secretary Clinton’s trip expanded on this theme, further highlighting the Administration’s intent to revamp its relationship with the continent as partners, not patrons, and to encourage good governance and accountability from African governments. As Secretary Clinton noted at the end of her trip, she was leaving African with “an even greater level of commitment” than she had before.
… I think it is important to underscore the commitment that both President Obama and I have to elevate our relationship with Africa. As you know, very early in his term he came to Africa. He considers himself a son of Africa. He spoke out about what he hoped to see happening in African countries.
Shortly after the President’s historic speech, I have made this 7-nation, 11-day trip through Africa to amplify and emphasize our commitment to a partnership with Africa, working to help individual African countries and governments and democracy on the rule of law, on development, on security. And I intend to work very hard, along with our team in the State Department and USAID, to follow through on the dialogues that we have had across the continent.
So what now?
The Administration has taken its first step to elevate Africa and its development as a foreign policy priority. But now that they’re both back in Washington, it’s our job to make sure that they do their homework and push this agenda into action. The FY2011 budget is an opportunity for this. If the President and Secretary Clinton stick to their commitments, we should expect to see budget increases for agriculture, food security, and maternal and child health.
Further down the road, we’ll continue to look for the Administration to amplify its use of non-aid tools by adopting a more comprehensive African trade and investment strategy, by improving the quality and transparency of our development assistance, and by supporting African efforts to improve governance and transparency. Theirs is a bold and broad agenda that has transformative potential – we are looking for continued action from both President Obama and Secretary Clinton.
You can read our detailed overview of Secretary Clinton’s trip–including key statements and announcements–here.
-Nora Coghlan
In wrapping up her one-day visit to Nigeria, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton held a town hall meeting in Abuja yesterday. In attendance were government officials, civil society and members of the media. The tone was said to be cordial and candid.
At the town hall there was wide ranging discussion on the paradoxes of Nigerian society. On the one hand Clinton talked about the failure of Nigeria achieve the economic successes expected of a nation with the continent’s largest population and enormous energy and natural resources, which she attributed to poor leadership and corruption. She further illustrated this by indicating that Nigeria is one of the leading exporters of crude oil and yet it imports 80% of its domestic fuel needs. Clinton went on to mention how the country is still embroiled in an election dispute two years after the universally acknowledged, seriously flawed event.
On the other hand, Clinton praised Nigeria’s prominent and continued leadership on matters pertaining to peace and security in Africa and also discussed the great potential for trade and development that exists in Nigeria. Clinton also said she was pleased about the progress that has been made in the area of basic health care and HIV/AIDS treatment and care. At an earlier meeting, Secretary Clinton agreed that the U.S. had been mistaken in not expanding some of its health commitments, a decision which she attributed to the global financial crisis. She also admitted that the U.S. should have responded more swiftly with assistance to mitigate the impact of the global financial crisis on Africa.
The Secretary also took questions from the audience. One audience member raised the issue of the negative stereotypes about Nigeria that exist in the U.S., emphasizing that these conclusions are based on the actions of a few people, when the majority of Nigerians are honest, law-abiding individuals who contribute much to Nigeria and the United States. The questioner asked Secretary Clinton to address this matter upon her return to the U.S.
Women groups asked for the Secretary’s help with women’s rights and empowerment in U.S. policy towards Nigeria, and Clinton pledged to include this issue in the mandate of the soon-to-be-established U.S.-Nigeria bi-national commission. The commission was included in the recently passed House State Department authorization bill and will explore a variety of areas of U.S.-Nigeria partnership and cooperation, including in the trade, health, education, defense, science and technology sectors.
Clinton was also asked to ensure that NGOs and implementing agencies of the U.S. government be required deliver assistance to the rural areas in the country to achieve maximum impact; Clinton agreed that this is an important task and is part of the policy review of U.S. assistance to Nigeria.
The Nigerian government officials said they were delighted by Secretary Clinton’s visit and the friendship and assistance of the American people. Secretary Clinton was told that Nigeria is looking forward: the country will address the issue of the flawed election in an electoral reform bill that is currently in progress in the national Assembly (Nigerian congress), and will tackle corruption issues though institutions built to prevent the rampant practices and promote transparency and accountability.
-Maryamu Aminu & Edith Jibunoh
While at a press conference with Secretary Clinton on Wednesday, Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf—the first democratically elected female President in Africa—noted the importance of U.S. aid to her country. In response to a reporter’s question (directed towards Secretary Clinton) about the effectiveness of U.S. aid, Sirleaf remarked:
“Secretary Clinton, let me not let that impression go unaddressed. It is not correct to say that U.S. aid has not had an impact. If you look at where we were two and a half years ago and you look at the development today under each of our four pillars in the poverty reduction strategy, you see roads being constructed…you see farms starting to operate again.”
Liberia’s four poverty reduction strategies are: consolidating peace and security, revitalizing the economy, strengthening governance and the rule of law, and rebuilding infrastructure and delivering basic services.
To read the full remarks from the press conference, click here.
To read more African SMART Aid success stories, click here.
-Kara Arsenault
Secretary Clinton is scheduled to cap off her 11 day trip to Africa with a visit to Cape Verde. For those of you who don’t know, Cape Verde is a series of islands approximately 300 miles off the western coast of Africa. The country was uninhabited until the mid-1400’s, when the Portuguese discovered and colonized the islands and brought African slaves to work on plantations. The country gained independence from the Portuguese in 1975.
Cape Verde is an African success story. Leaders in the democratically governed country have invested in their citizens and taken steps to enhance trade, helping them earn a compact with the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC)—a U.S. government agency created to reduce poverty through sustainable economic growth—in July of 2005. The agreement provides Cape Verde with $110 million for the development of their private sector and various industries in an effort to become self-sufficient. Projects will include work on watershed management and agricultural development, infrastructure development, private sector incubation, and government transparency and accountability.
Cape Verde’s climate is hot and dry, and the terrain is rocky, making farming difficult. Only four of Cape Verde’s ten islands can support agricultural production, and the country imports most of its food. Cape Verde has developed some industry, particularly around fishing, but commerce, tourism and remittances still account for significant portions of the country’s GDP. The projects undertaken with assistance from the MCC will help Cape Verde expand its business prospects, develop industry, and increase economic productivity and opportunity.
-Beth Adler
A quick bit of follow-up from Secretary Clinton’s visit in Angola: while there the Secretary witnessed the signing of an accord between USAID, Chevron, and a variety of other partners. This partnership is committed to expanding non-oil business in the country, which is currently heavily reliant on petroleum products for economic development. When Angola emerged from civil war, economic growth and agricultural development were tagged as key priorities for the country.
As Secretary Clinton mentioned in her remarks, part of this investment will be directed towards smallholder farmers in an effort to boost agricultural productivity. Often oil-producers invest in support for non-oil business in order to bolster social and political stability in a country, which also helps protect their oil-related investments. The Memorandum of Understanding that was signed will provide continuity for the $56 million Angola Partnership Initiative between USAID, Chevron, and other partners that supports initiatives on education, food security, government capacity building, and small business development.
-Beth Adler
Secretary Clinton is in Nigeria today, the fifth stop of her seven-nation, 11 day tour. This morning she met with the Nigerian Foreign Minister, members of the legislative branch and several cabinet secretaries, taking a “noticeably softer tone” with the country’s leaders according to the New York Times.
During the meeting, Secretary Clinton acknowledged and complimented Nigeria’s contribution towards peace and stability on the African continent (the bulk of African Union and UN peacekeeping troops in Darfur are Nigerian soldiers, and additional troops will also be deployed to Somalia). Secretary Clinton noted that Nigeria is blessed with many resources and the country has the potential to develop social and economic infrastructure. She also urged Nigerian leaders to improve security and increase transparency, actions which would help attract greater foreign investment and lead to economic development.
At the meeting, the Nigerian Minister of Health and a legislator expressed to Secretary Clinton the country’s concern regarding the flatlining of funding for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Nigeria’s PEPFAR program is one of the largest in Africa, but funding has dropped nearly $10 million a year over the last two years, even though more people are in need of treatment and care. ONE is glad to see that African leaders are drawing attention to this issue, and ONE hopes that this language continues to remind the Obama administration of its commitment to double U.S. foreign assistance.
-Edith Jibunoh & Maryamu Aminu
As cross-posted from the Huffington Post.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has offered up some tough talk on her seven-nation, 11 day trip to Africa. While it’s caused some discomfort among African statesman, it’s precisely what citizens throughout the continent, particularly young Africans, have been demanding from their leaders.
Building on President Obama’s recent speech in Ghana, Secretary Clinton has made it clear that America has no tolerance for the corruption and impunity that has sadly plagued the independence generation in many African states. “Leaders have to lead. They have to demonstrate to their people that democracy does deliver,” Clinton stated in Kenya on the first leg of her tour. It’s a message that puts wind in the sails of a rising generation of Africans who are unwilling to accept the status quo. They’re demanding jobs, accountability and tangible results from their leaders. They’re similarly frustrated with donors that reward bad behavior with unaccountable and ineffective aid.
As President Obama said in Egypt and Ghana, democratic and economic development go hand-in-hand. Good governance, transparent leadership and control of corruption are critical components for a prosperous nation; it is equally true that democracy is difficult when a country can’t develop because it’s stuck in extreme poverty, when citizens aren’t empowered through education, and when families, communities and businesses are torn apart by deaths from preventable diseases like malaria and AIDS.
Poor countries that are committed to stable, accountable governance are typically committed to improving the lives of their citizens. Take Ghana for example, a country I recently visited. Ghana has seen five consecutive, peaceful transitions of power, the latest decided by fewer than 40,000 votes. As Ghana’s commitment to transparent governance and rule of law has deepened, development and growth have taken hold. Ghana has posted close to 5% annual growth for the last two decades, increased primary school enrollment rates for boys and girls over 20% from 2004 to 2008 and has nearly halved its poverty rate since 1992.
But tough talk goes both ways–and many African leaders are similarly tired of business as usual. As the leaders of Senegal, Liberia, Rwanda and Botswana recently articulated in a Forbes op-ed, “Africa seeks not patrons but collaborators who will work ‘with’ rather than ‘for’ the continent.” They want equal partnership, not North-South patronage. What does that mean? It means we must improve our development assistance so that it’s transparent and accountable to the Africans it’s designed to serve. Equally important, it means complementing this aid with our full array of non-aid tools–strengthening trade through the removal of barriers, working with Africa to increase trade capacity and to encourage trade between African countries, providing loan guarantees to attract more foreign direct investment and financing for low-cost energy infrastructure, and taking meaningful action to hunt down Africa’s looted assets. The Millennium Challenge Corporation, started during the Bush Administration, and the Obama Administration’s new long-term agriculture initiative unveiled at the G8 in July, are strong examples of a comprehensive approach that puts developing countries in the driver’s seat.
When equal partnership works, we’ve seen what it can do. Smart development investments and strong African leadership have led to remarkable breakthroughs in the fight against extreme poverty and infectious disease: 34 million additional African children have now seen the inside of a classroom, malaria rates have been halved in Rwanda and Ethiopia, and approximately 3.2 million Africans now have access to life-saving AIDS medicine, up from only 50,000 in 2002. The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), the U.S.’s duty-free trade program with Africa, has also created 200,000 jobs and increased imports from sub-Saharan Africa to the U.S. more than three-fold from 2001 to 2007.
Africa’s been hit hard by the global economic crisis, rising food prices and climate change. So to make sure the continent’s progress isn’t completely overturned, it’s time for Africa and the U.S. to step up. It’s time for African leaders to listen to their citizens’ calls for more jobs, greater transparency and better standards of living. It’s also time for the U.S. to treat Africa like a true partner, focusing on better trade, effective aid and a stronger emphasis on investments. In order for this relationship to work, it must be a two-way street.
