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President Bush
Discusses Trip to Africa at Leon H. Sullivan
Foundation
Marriott Wardman Park Hotel
Washington, D.C.
february 26,
2008
THE PRESIDENT: Thanks for coming. I
appreciate the warm welcome. Last Thursday
Laura and I returned from a six-day visit to
Africa. It happened to be her fifth visit,
and my second. Without a doubt, this was the
most exciting, exhilarating, uplifting trip
I've taken since I've been the President. It
was an unbelievable experience. (Applause.)
Africa Trip 2008
And I want to
thank the Sullivan Foundation for letting me
come by to visit with you about the trip.
And I appreciate the good work they're doing
on behalf of the people on the continent of
Africa. Hope, thank you very much for
introducing me and inviting me back. It's
always an honor to be with Andrew Young,
Chairman of the Board of -- (applause).
By the way, I should have recognized Carl
Masters, your husband -- (laughter) -- that
was a major faux pas, just like I should
have recognized that my wife unfortunately
is not here, but she sends her very best
regards.
I do appreciate very much Ambassador Howard
Jeter for his service to the United States.
I thank the members of the Leon H. Sullivan
Foundation who are with us. Pleased to see
members of the Diplomatic Corps who have
joined us. I'm honored that Congressman
Donald Payne, who is the Chairman of the
Africa and Global Health Subcommittee, has
joined us today. Thank you for coming, Mr.
Chairman. (Applause.) He's knowledgeable
about the issues on the continent of Africa,
and that's good. And I want to thank you for
your interest and your diligence. Sheila
Jackson Lee -- she's supposed to be here. If
she's not here, I'll give her an excused
absence -- after all, she is from Texas.
(Applause.)
I appreciate so very much Jendayi Frazer.
(Applause.) I probably won't have to say
anything else. (Laughter.) She's been
awesome to work with, in putting this
strategy in place. I appreciate very much
Rear Admiral Tim Zeimer. He's in charge of
the Malaria Initiative. Admiral Zeimer, he's
a no-nonsense guy. I hope people have come
to realize I am, too. I'm not interested in
promises, I'm interested in results. That's
why I went to Africa -- to see results
firsthand. Admiral Zeimer, we're getting
great results on the Malaria Initiative
thanks to your leadership. (Applause.)
Lloyd Pierson, President and CEO of the
African Development Foundation -- appreciate
your leadership, Lloyd. Jody Olsen, Deputy
Director of the Peace Corps. (Applause.)
Contain yourselves. (Laughter.) Although
I'll tell you -- it's not a part of this
speech, but I had a wonderful lunch with
Peace Corps volunteers in Ghana. Our Peace
Corps is full of compassionate,
hard-working, decent people who are serving
America on the front lines of compassion.
And I really can't thank the Peace Corps
enough. (Applause.)
Last time we met was at your summit in
Nigeria, and that was during my first trip
to Africa. You know, things have changed in
Africa since then, I mean striking changes.
These changes are the result of a new
generation of African leaders -- they're
reformers who are determined to steer their
nations toward freedom and justice,
prosperity and peace. They're also the
result of new American policy and new
American commitments. In my first term, we
more than doubled development assistance to
Africa. And at the beginning of my second
term, I asked the United States Congress to
double our assistance again. It is an
important commitment that Congress can make.
I'm looking forward to working to get these
budgets out, Mr. Chairman.
America is on a mission of mercy. We're
treating African leaders as equal partners.
We expect them to produce measurable
results. We expect them to fight corruption,
and invest in the health and education of
their people, and pursue market-based
economic policies. This mission serves our
security interests -- people who live in
chaos and despair are more likely to fall
under the sway of violent ideologies. This
mission serves our moral interests -- we're
all children of God, and having the power to
save lives comes with the obligation to use
it.
This mission rarely makes headlines in the
United States. But when you go to Africa, it
is a visible part of daily life -- and
there's no doubt that our mission is
succeeding. You see it when you hold a baby
that would have died of malaria without
America's support. You see it when you look
into the eyes of an AIDS patient who has
been brought back to life. You see it in the
quiet pride of a child going to school for
the first time. And you see that turning
away from this life-changing work would be a
cause for shame.
The best argument for our development
programs is found in the people they
benefit. So with the help of our fabulous
White House photographers, I have assembled
a slide show -- (laughter) -- of images from
our visit. And this morning, it is my
pleasure to share it with you. (Applause.)
(Slideshow begins)
Our first stop was to the Western African
nation of Benin, where we touched down on a
Saturday morning. Benin is a vibrant
democracy with a rich history. It has a wise
and determined leader in President Yayi. I
was proud to be the first sitting American
President to visit the country.
At the airport, we were greeted by women and
children wearing traditional dress, and they
were dancing and playing drums. And they
brought several hand-painted signs that the
American people need to look at: "Benin
people and his President thank the whole
U.S. people." "Beninese people will remember
forever."
President Yayi and I had a productive
meeting. He told me that the Malaria
Initiative and our $307 million Millennium
Challenge Compact are helping alleviate
poverty and save lives in his country. And I
told him that America's support is a
reflection of his commitment to govern
justly and to tackle problems head on. I
congratulated him on his effort to fight
malaria, which apparently includes a
national awareness day called "George W.
Bush Day." (Laughter.) I pointed out to him
that hasn't even happened in Texas.
(Laughter and applause.)
While President Yayi and I had our
discussion, Laura and Mrs. Yayi met with
girls who have received scholarships through
our Africa Education Initiative. In Benin,
these scholarships cover the cost of school
supplies, such as uniforms and books and oil
lanterns that allow students to read at
night. Many of these girls are the first in
their family to complete primary school. And
their plans didn't stop there. Three girls
told Laura that their goal is to become the
first woman President of Benin. (Applause.)
Laura and I left Benin impressed by the
energy and determination of its people.
Benin is an optimistic, it is a confident,
and it is a capable nation. And it was a
great place to begin our visit to Africa.
Our next stop was Tanzania. We were met by
President Kikwete and Mrs. Kikwete, as well
as Tanzanians -- they were dancing and they
were playing great music. And there was also
some unexpected fashion. (Laughter and
applause.) I thought the dresses were pretty
stylish. (Laughter and applause.) But my
good wife reminded me that I shouldn't
expect to see them flying off the shelves in
American stores anytime soon. (Laughter.)
As we drove from the airport to our hotel,
there were tens of thousands of people who
lined the motorcade route to show their
gratitude to the American people -- and many
of them were smiling and they were waving
and they were holding flags. It was an
unbelievable -- unbelievable sight.
Sunday morning began with a meeting with
President Kikwete at the State House. The
President told me that relations between our
nations are the best they have ever been. He
said that America's support is helping
Tanzania improve education, and fight
HIV/AIDS, and dramatically reduce malaria.
He gave me a memorable gift. Laura said we
probably need another pet -- (laughter) --
I'm worried that Barney might be slightly
intimidated. (Applause.)
Following our meeting, we signed the largest
Millennium Challenge Compact in the history
of the program. The $698 million agreement
will support Tanzania's efforts to improve
transportation and energy and water supply.
At a news conference, I again called for
Congress to reauthorize the Emergency Plan
for AIDS Relief, to maintain the principles
that have made it a success, and to double
our initial commitment to $30 billion over
the next five years. (Applause.) Then
President Kikwete jumped in to say -- and I
want to quote him on this -- "If this
program is discontinued or disrupted, there
would be so many people who lose hope;
certainly there will be death. My passionate
appeal is for PEPFAR to continue." I
couldn't agree more with the President. And
I hope every member of the United States
Congress hears that appeal.
They should also hear about the HIV/AIDS
clinic at the Amana District Hospital, where
Laura and I visited with the President and
Mrs. Kikwete on Sunday afternoon. The clinic
opened in 2004 with support from PEPFAR. And
two thoughts struck me on the visit --
first, this program is saving lives, there
are tangible results. When I visited
sub-Saharan Africa in 2003, 50,000 people
were receiving medicine to treat HIV/AIDS.
When I visited again last week, the number
had grown to more than 1.3 million.
(Applause.)
At the clinic, we visited with a man and
woman who learned they had HIV while they
were dating -- but went on to get treatment,
get married, and have a little baby boy who
is HIV-free. (Applause.) We saw many others
who have new hope because of PEPFAR --
including a 9-year-old girl who is
HIV-positive. She was smiling at the clinic
with her grandmother, because -- sitting at
the clinic with her grandmother because her
mom and dad had died of AIDS. For the past
year, Catholic Relief Services has been
paying for the girl to receive treatment at
the clinic. And I want to tell you what her
grandmother said: "As a Muslim, I never
imagined that a Catholic group would help me
like that. I am so grateful to the American
people."
The second important point is that PEPFAR is
allowing African nations to lay the
foundation for a health system that does
more than treat HIV/AIDS. When patients
report to the clinic, they are given a
series of tests, they get results quickly
from a laboratory on site, and they can
receive treatment in the same place. I was
struck by the devotion and the
professionalism of the clinic's staff. They
spoke proudly about the rigorous training
they received, and the meticulous way they
instruct patients on how to take their
medicine. One nurse said PEPFAR funds are
helping them to treat more patients while
providing more privacy. This is helping
extend lives, reduce the stigma of HIV/AIDS,
and build the health infrastructure that
will save many more lives in the future. …
White House
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