An Overview of President Bush's African Policy

Together with our allies and friends, we must help strengthen Africa’s fragile states, help build indigenous capability to secure porous borders, and help build up the law enforcement and intelligence infrastructure to deny havens for terrorists. An ever more lethal environment exists in Africa as local civil wars spread beyond borders to create regional war zones. Forming coalitions of the willing and cooperative security arrangements are key to confronting these emerging transnational threats.

Africa: National Security Strategy

Africa’s great size and diversity requires a security strategy that focuses on bilateral engagement and builds coalitions of the willing. This Administration will focus on three interlocking strategies for the region:

Countries with major impact on their neighborhood such as South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, and Ethiopia are anchors for regional engagement and require focused attention

Coordination with allies, friends and international institutions is essential for constructive conflict mediation and successful peace operations; and

Africa’s capable reforming states and sub-regional organizations must be strengthened as the primary means to address transnational threats on a sustained basis.

Ultimately the path of political and economic freedom presents the surest route to progress in sub-Saharan Africa, where most wars are conflicts over material resources and political access often tragically waged on the basis of ethnic and religious difference.

The transition to the African Union with its stated commitment to good governance and a common responsibility for democratic political systems offers opportunities to strengthen democracy on the continent.

Three Pillars of Bush African Policy

1. Strategic approach

Work with the key anchor states in each sub-region
Support sub-regional organization
Engage the African Union

2. Clear policy priorities

Combat HIV/AIDS pandemic
Advance political and economic freedom
Promote peace and regional stability

3. Principles of bilateral engagement

Good governance
Economic reform
Promote health and education
Africa Growth and Opportunity Act

President Bush announced the AGOA forum on May 16, 2001
Forum held at the State Department on October 29-30.
The President, Secretaries of State, Treasury, and Commerce, Agriculture, National Security Advisor, USAID Administrator and Ministerial counterparts from 35 African countries participated in the forum.

Discussed ways to build trade capacity with Africa to fully implement AGOA

HIV / AIDS

AIDS alone has left at least 11 million orphans in sub-Sahara Africa.
The Bush Administration launched the Global AID Fund and initially contributed $200 M. Today the Administration has committed $500M for FY02 and 03.