By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
On Tuesday, August 5, Congresswoman Terri Sewell attended the Africa Leaders Summit at the White House.
Congresswoman Sewell said in a statement on facebook, “It was my honor and pleasure to attend the U.S. – Africa Leaders Summit at the White House. I was pleased to see President Obama speak, as well as meet with Mayor Bell and Mrs. Bell, Leader Pelosi, Susan Rice, and other Members of Congress. I hope America’s relationship with African countries can grow for the benefit of Americans and Africans alike.”
Lionel Richie was the entertainment at Tuesday night’s U.S./Africa Leaders Summit dinner at the White House state dinner that featured more than 400 guests.
President Obama said, “I do not see the countries and peoples of Africa as a world apart; I see Africa as a fundamental part of our interconnected world – partners with America on behalf of the future we want for all of our children. That partnership must be grounded in mutual responsibility and mutual respect.”
President Obama welcomed the leaders from across the African continent to the Nation’s capital for a three-day U.S./Africa Leaders Summit. The Summit was the largest event any U.S. President has held with African heads of state and government and built on the President’s trip to Africa in the summer of 2013 and aimed to strengthen ties between the United States and one of the world’s most dynamic and fastest-growing regions. According to the White House, the August 4-6 Summit advanced the Administration’s focus on trade and investment in Africa and highlighted America’s commitment to Africa’s security, its democratic development, and its people.
According to the White House, throughout the U.S./Africa Leaders Summit, African leaders had the opportunity to engage with President Obama, his Cabinet members, and other key leaders, including business executives from the U.S. and Africa, Members of Congress, and members of civil society.
The discussions centered on how to encourage progress in key areas that Africans define as critical for the future of the continent: expanding trade and investment ties, engaging young African leaders, promoting inclusive sustainable development, expanding cooperation on peace and security, and gaining a better future for Africa’s next generation.
President Obama invited all African heads of state or government in good standing with the United States and the African Union to attend the U.S./Africa Leaders Summit. An invitation was also extended to the African Union Chairperson. There were various African delegations in attendance including: the Algeria Delegation was headed by Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal; the Angola Delegation was headed by Vice President Manuel Domingos Vicente; the Benin Delegation was headed by President Boni Yayi; the Botswana Delegation was headed by Foreign Minister PhAndu Tombola Chanda Skelemani; the Burkina Faso: Delegation was headed by President Blaise Compaore; the Burundi Delegation was headed by President Pierre Nkurunziza; the Cabo Verde Delegation was headed by President Jorge Carlos de Almeida Fonseca; the Cameroon Delegation was headed by President Paul Biya; the Chad Delegation was headed by President Idriss Deby Itno; the Comoros Delegation was headed by President Ikililou Dhoinine; the Cote d’Ivoire Delegation was headed by Prime Minister Daniel Kablan Duncan; the Democratic Republic of the Congo Delegation was headed by President Joseph Kabila Kabange; the Djibouti: Delegation was headed by President Ismail Omar Guelleh; the Egypt: Delegation headed by Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab; the Equatorial Guinea Delegation was headed by President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo; the Ethiopia Delegation was headed by Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn Boshe; the Gabon Delegation was headed by President Ali Bongo Ondimba; the Ghana Delegation was headed by President John Dramani Mahama; the Guinea Delegation was headed by President Alpha Condé; the Guinea Bissau Delegation was headed by President Jose Mario Vaz; the Kenya Delegation headed by President Uhuru Kenyatta; the Lesotho: Delegation was headed by Prime Minister Motsoahae Thomas Thabane; the Liberia: Delegation headed by Vice President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr.; the Libya Delegation was headed by Prime Minister Abdalla Alteni; the Madagascar Delegation was headed by President Hery Rajaonarimampianina; the Malawi Delegation was headed by President Arthur Peter Mutharika; the Mali Delegation was headed by President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita; the Mauritania Delegation was headed by President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz; the Mauritius Delegation was headed by Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam; the Morocco Delegation was headed by Prime Minister Abdel-Ilah Benkiran; the Mozambique Delegation was headed by President Armando Emílio Guebuza; the Namibia Delegation was headed by President Hifikepunye Lucas Pohamba; the Niger Delegation was headed by President Issoufou Mahamadou; the Nigeria Delegation headed by President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan; the Republic of the Congo Delegation was headed by President Denis Sassou-Nguesso; the Rwanda: Delegation was headed by President Paul Kagame; the São Tomé and Príncipe Delegation was headed by Prime Minister Gabriel Arcanjo Ferreira da Costa; the Senegal Delegation was headed by President Macky Sall; the Seychelles Delegation was headed by President James Alix Michel; the Sierra Leone Delegation was headed by Foreign Minister Samura Kamara; the Somalia Delegation was headed by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud; the South Africa Delegation was headed by President Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma; the South Sudan Delegation was headed by President Salva Kiir Mayardit; the Swaziland Delegation headed by King Mswati III; the Tanzania Delegation headed by President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete; the Gambia: Delegation headed by President Alhaji Dr. Yahya A.J.J. Jammeh; the Togo Delegation was headed by President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé; the Tunisia Delegation headed by President Mohamed Moncef Marzouki; the Uganda: Delegation headed by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni; and the Zambia Delegation was headed by Vice President Guy Scott.
President Obama pledged $33 billion in aid to African countries in coming years.
Congresswoman Terri Sewell represents Alabama’s Seventh Congressional District. Sewell is seeking a third term in the Congress. She has won the Democratic Primary and has no Republican opponent in November.
