Secretary Clinton speaks at a Forum on African Growth and Opportunity

By Liz Wing on 08/06/2010 @ 12:28 PM

Earlier this week Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke at a forum discussing African economic growth.

At this 2010 Forum on the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) in Washington, DC, Secretary Clinton spoke about new programs that the administration and the State Department are supporting in efforts to spur economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa. Secretary Clinton explains:

"In place after place, the hope and progress that I saw are, every day, sweeping away old stereotypes and offering the world a new view of Africa. In small villages and sprawling cities across that great and diverse continent, poverty, conflict, and corruption are giving a way to opportunity, stability, and democracy. For example, in the last 10 years, child mortality rates have declined while primary school enrollment has increased. More people have gained access to clean water and fewer have died in violent conflicts. More than 315 million people began using mobile phones. And every day, 21st century technology is creating new opportunities and unlocking untapped potential."

The State Department and the administration have shown their commitments through various initiatives and sponsorships:

• The administration has launched a new focus on local solutions that exemplifies our partnership, the Feed the Future Initiative. It is an effort to address the root causes of poverty and hunger. It encourages programs that shift food from areas that have a surplus to those who have too little.

• The Global Health Initiative focuses on the health of women and girls, because they are in the greatest need of health improvements, and their health has the greatest impact on families.

• The State Department-sponsored AGOA Women's Entrepreneurship Program assists women who are leading businesses and contributing significantly to economic growth in their communities.

As Secretary Clinton says about the AGOA Women's Entrepreneurship Program:

"The State Department is sponsoring this program because we know from experience across the world that women-run small- and medium-sized enterprises that are in the formal economy provide a major boost to a country’s GDP."

Sub-Saharan Africa makes up 12 percent of the world's population, but less than 2 percent of global GDP. America's partnership with Africa is unwavering, and our commitment to encourage that every child has an opportunity to thrive is uncompromising. Secretary Clinton made this clear, "We're here for the good times and the bad. We want to work toward the day when every child born in Africa has the opportunity to live up to his or her God-given potential. That is our goal and that is our pledge."

Watch the video and read the transcript here.

We previously wrote about a policy briefing that Secretary Clinton did during a conference on sub-Saharan Africa in June, you can read it here.

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