[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.