Mrs. Laura Bush and Madame Chantal de Souza Yayi, First Lady of Benin, enjoy a performance during a visit witht he Ambassador's Girls Scholarship Program Recipients Saturday, Feb. 16, 2008 in Cotonou. White House photo by Shealah Craighead.   For more photos from President Bush's trip to Africa, please see the slideshow at the White House web site

Our fourth stop was Ghana. We received another warm welcome, with tens of thousands lining the street -- including thousands of school children in their uniforms. I suspect they're really happy I came -- they didn't have to go to school -- (laughter) -- at least until the motorcade passed.

President Kufuor and I met at Osu Castle. It's a striking white building on the shore of the Atlantic. For generations, the castle was a post in the slave trade. And today it is a seat of a proud and democratic government. During our meeting, President Kufuor and I discussed the wide-ranging cooperation between the United States and Ghana.

After the meeting, I added a new element to our partnership -- a $350 million initiative to target neglected tropical diseases like river blindness and hookworm across the globe. Needless to say, the President really welcomed this announcement. He spoke powerfully about the ideological struggle unfolding around the world, and he stressed the importance of America's continued engagement in Africa. Listen to his words: "If the United States should lock itself into isolationism and think it is safer, then I would say perhaps they don't know what is coming." Wise words from a wise man.

Our next stop was a visit to the embassy staff at the U.S. Ambassador's Residence in Accra. I think the audience was happy to see Laura and me, it seemed that way -- but I know they were even more excited to see our surprise guest, reigning American Idol Jordin Sparks. (Applause.) This young child can sing. (Laughter.) And she sang the National Anthem that inspired all that were there. And I reminded people there that this spring, American Idol will again use its prominence across our TV screens to raise funds for malaria relief in Africa. (Applause.)

After lunch, we went to a trade fair and met local merchants who export their products to the United States through AGOA. And my predecessor gets a lot of credit for getting AGOA out of the United States Congress, and I appreciate the Congress working to extend it again. This is a good program and it's working.

At the trade fair, we saw how the USAID helps these budding entrepreneurs secure financing and increase their access to the U.S. market. Sometimes we take entrepreneurship for granted. The spirit exists, but sometimes people just need a little help. And that's what we're doing.

One group called Global Mamas -- specializes in helping women entrepreneurs find new places to sell their goods. With USAID help, the company has gone from 7 employees to about 300 employees in five years. (Applause.) Those are before Global Mamas. (Laughter.) One woman named Esther runs a dressmaking company called My Redeemer Liveth. Since the trade hub opened, she's increased her exports and more than tripled her number of employees. She told me, "I'm helping other women, and I'm helping my family too."

Early Thursday morning, we left Ghana for our final stop, which was Liberia. We were met by Africa's first democratically-elected woman president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. (Applause.) In her office in Monrovia, the President told me about the challenges her country faces -- and her detailed plan to meet them. She has assembled a wise group of advisers and ministers, many of whom were educated in the United States. And I took a little time there at the meeting to thank them for leaving our wonderful country to go back home and help this young democracy not only survive, but to thrive. I told the President that I admire Liberia's recovery from war, and that she could count on America to continue to stand by her side. And that's a commitment we must keep.

The spirit of the Liberian people was unmistakable. We drove through the city, again there was some -- a lot of folks lining the road, and they were cheering, and they were enthusiastic, and they were waving flags. I went to thank those who work at our embassy, and I told them that the desire for freedom is universal. And it was interesting, the response from the Liberians in the audience, and they started shouting back, "Yes!" at the top of their lungs. They wanted America to hear their voices.

When Liberian troops trained -- Liberia troops who were trained with U.S. funds marched past us, the President and me reviewing the troops. It was a proud moment. All of a sudden you're beginning to see a force take place that will be disciplined and serve the people, as opposed to intimidating the people. It's worth our interests and efforts to help train people -- these governments train force, to bring stability to their countries.

But nothing sums up the new Liberia better than its approach to education. We had a roundtable at the University of Liberia. By the way, I'm pretty certain the President was educated at the University of Pennsylvania. The more people who come to be educated in the United States from abroad, the better off our country will be. (Applause.)

This man here is getting U.S. help to train teachers and principals to help rebuild the country's school system. I met a 15-year old boy who was once reading well below grade level and he didn't like going to school -- that's what he said to the crowd. Both Presidents sitting there, he said, I just didn't like going to school. And he was falling behind. And yet there's a USAID program to help students like him catch up -- and now he wants to go to college. This woman I met told us that her husband left her and three children because she was illiterate. Pitiful excuse for not being -- you know, standing up and being a good father. But nevertheless, it's what she said. And now she has learned to read and she plans to go to college. And like a lot of other people we met, she wants to be the President of Liberia. (Laughter.)

The progress in Liberia is real, and it is inspiring. As a Liberian official put it during a prayer at one of our ceremonies -- and these are prayerful people, and they're not afraid to pray in public. The nation has passed from "the valley of despair to the buoyancy of new hope." The Liberian people have a distance to travel -- but they do have an unshakable faith in liberty. And they got a faithful friend in the United States of America.

And so throughout our trip, Laura and I were overwhelmed by the outpouring of warmth and affection for the American people. Again and again, we heard the same words: "Thank you." Thank you for sparing lives from malaria and HIV/AIDS. Thank you for training teachers and bringing books to schools. Thank you for investing in infrastructure and helping our economies grow. Thank you for supporting freedom. And thank you for caring about the people of Africa.

Americans should feel proud, mighty proud, of the work we're doing in Africa. At every stop, I told people that the source of all these efforts is the generosity of the American people. We are a nation of compassionate and good-hearted folks. We recognize the extraordinary potential of Africa. In schoolchildren waving flags on dusty roadsides, to nurses caring for their patients at busy clinics, to artisans selling their products in scorching heat, we saw people who have been given great challenges -- and responded to them with clear eyes and big hearts.