U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday in Kenya “reaffirmed the new U.S. administrations commitment towards expanding its partnership with African countries, expressing optimism in the continents longterm potential for growth and development,” VOA News reports. Speaking at the African Growth and Opportunity Act Forum in Nairobi, which marked the start of her 11day trip to Africa, Clinton “also stressed to the delegates that economic progress is tied directly to good governance (Boswell, 8/5). Clintons message was that the “new American policy for Africa would be trade not aid,” according to the New York Times. She told the forum, “We want to be your partner, not your patron” (Gettleman, 8/5).

“We believe in Africas promise. We are committed to Africas future and we will be partners with Africas people,” she said, adding that Africans should focus on womens rights in order to expand economic growth, CNN reports. “The social, political and economic marginalization of women across Africa has left a void in this continent that undermines progress and prosperity every day,” according to Clinton (8/5). She said that economic progress in Africa “also depends on responsible governments that reject corruption, enforce the rule of law and deliver results for their people,” adding, “This is not just about good governance, this is about good business,” according to Reuters.

Reuters reports that President Obama said in a videotaped message after Clinton spoke, “Only Africans can unlock Africas potential” (Pleming, 8/5). “To all Africans who are pursuing a future of hope and opportunity, know this you have a partner and a friend in the United States,” he said, Agence FrancePresse writes (Tandon, 8/5).

Ahead of the meeting in Kenya, Tom Vilsack, the U.S. agriculture secretary, said the U.S. wants to reduce Africas dependence on food handouts and address the continents food shortages by adopting a sustainable approach, Reuters reports. “This is not something where we come in and say this is the way you need to do it, it is where we come in and say how are you doing it and how can we help you do it better,” Vilsack said. He said some of the areas being considered included offering affordable credit to farmers, supporting women farmers and providing new technology to encourage irrigation in some areas (Miriri, 8/4).

This information was reprinted from globalhealth.kff.org with kind permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Global Health Policy Report, search the archives and sign up for email delivery at globalhealth.kff.org.

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