    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book I)]
    [January 15, 2003]
    [Pages 54-56]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Videotaped Remarks to the African Growth and Opportunity Act Forum
     January 15, 2003

        Thank you very much. And thank you, Ambassador Zoellick, for leading the United States delegation to this
    historic gathering. And thanks to the other U.S. Government officials,
    including Sam Bodman, Andrew
    Natsios, and others, for attending this
    forum.
        I also thank you all for the honor of addressing this important
    meeting. I'm disappointed I'm not able to join you in person. I still
    look forward to visiting Africa later this year. I'm grateful to Prime
    Minister Jugnauth for hosting this forum.
    And to all the ministers and delegates and guests from our fellow AGOA
    nations, I extend the good wishes of the American people.
        All of us share a common vision for the future of Africa. We look to
    the day when prosperity for Africa is built through trade and markets.
    We see a continent at peace, where the people of Africa obtain education
    and medical care and live in freedom. And we're making great progress,
    as shown by last month's free elections in Kenya.
        Yet fulfilling this vision is the work of many years. It will
    require hard effort and true leadership and a rejection of some old
    ways. And in this great work, you will always have a partner in the
    United States.
        Every nation that seeks peace faces a common enemy today in global
    terror. The recent attacks in Mombasa remind us that Africa is on the
    frontlines of the war against terror. All our citizens know the awful
    price of terror, and we will not rest until we have defeated terrorism
    in all its forms.
        In this struggle, my country is grateful for the crucial support and
    friendship we have received from the nations of Africa. You've stood
    with us against a deadly threat. And we will stand with you to help
    bring an end to the terrible regional conflicts that bring so much
    suffering to innocent Africans, from Congo to Sudan to the Ivory Coast.
        Safety from violence is the most basic condition of better lives for
    the people of Africa. And now and in years to come, we will continue
    working to expand trade between America and the African Continent.

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    AGOA shows the power of trade to lift people out of poverty. Exports
    from AGOA nations to the United States are rising dramatically, and the
    benefits are felt throughout the region. From Mauritius to Mali, AGOA is
    helping to reform old economies, creating new incentives for good
    governance and offering new hope for millions of Africans.
        America is committed to building on the great success of AGOA. One
    important way we can do this is to give business the confidence to
    invest in Africa, knowing the law's benefits will continue long into the
    future. Therefore, I'm pleased to announce that I will ask the United
    States Congress to extend AGOA beyond 2008.
        My administration strongly supported the AGOA II improvements, which
    are now helping African companies to sharply increase exports to the
    United States. As promised at the last AGOA meeting in Washington, the
    United States has opened offices in Botswana and Kenya and Ghana to
    ensure that African businesses can take advantage of new opportunities
    to sell goods abroad. Entrepreneurs in Africa often face difficulty
    complying with trade regulations and standards, and these offices are
    there to provide help. To assist African farmers in selling abroad, soon
    we will assign U.S. agricultural officials to each of these regional
    offices.
        America is also working toward a free trade agreement with the
    Southern African Customs Union. Reaching that agreement involves complex
    and costly negotiations. To speed up those negotiations, my country will
    provide technical assistance to members of the Southern African Customs
    Union.
        Wider trade is essential to economic growth, but our work does not
    end there. Many countries also need assistance to help spare their
    peoples from the extremes of poverty and disease. We are sending 1
    million metric tons of food to help feed the 30 million people in
    southern Africa and the Horn facing starvation, and we are urging other
    nations to join us in meeting this urgent need.
        The United States will also continue to lead the world in providing
    the resources to defeat HIV/AIDS. In addition, we have pledged to help
    poor countries get access to the emergency life-saving drugs they need
    to fight HIV/AIDS and other infectious epidemics. The AIDS pandemic has
    caused extraordinary loss and suffering across your continent and the
    world, and all governments have a moral obligation to confront it.
        To help promote economic progress in Africa and elsewhere, the next
    budget I submit to Congress will include a 50-percent increase in our
    development assistance over the next 3 years. Money from our new
    Millennium Challenge Account will be directed to nations that encourage
    economic freedom, root out corruption, and respect the rights of their
    people. Through the New Partnership for African Development, many
    leaders across the continent have pledged their governments to these
    fundamental principles.
        America has also created a special African Millennium Fund,
    administered by the Overseas Private Investment Corporation. Through
    this fund, we will support the construction of roads and bridges,
    canals, and other basic infrastructure that help make economic growth
    possible.
        Africa's future depends as well on good teachers and schools and a
    chance for every child to study and learn, so America is devoting an
    additional $200 million over 5 years to improve basic education and
    teacher training in Africa. Thanks to the leadership of Andrew
    Natsios, Administrator of our Agency of
    International Development, we have also created the Books for a Better
    Tomorrow program. This public/private effort will, in the weeks to come,
    deliver $30 million worth of books and other school supplies to Africa.
        For many years, America and the world looked to the continent of
    Africa and saw only its problems. That era has passed. In

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    this new century, the world is beginning to see the great potential of
    Africa and the goodness of its people.
        Many of you gathered this week in Mauritius have helped to bring
    about this change. I share your confidence in Africa's future and in
    Africa's new generation of leaders. I pledge to you the friendship and
    support of the United States of America.
        Thank you very much, and may God bless you all.

    Note: The President's remarks were videotaped at approximately 4 p.m. on
    January 13 in the Library at the White House for later transmission to
    the forum meeting in Port Louis, Mauritius. The transcript was released
    by the Office of the Press Secretary on January 15. In his remarks, the
    President referred to Prime Minister Anerood Jugnauth of Mauritius.