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THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release July 11, 2009
Page One
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
TO THE GHANAIAN PARLIAMENT
Accra International Conference Center
Accra, Ghana
12:40 P.M. GMT
THE PRESIDENT: (Trumpet plays.) I like this. Thank
you. Thank you. I think Congress needs one of those
horns. (Laughter.) That sounds pretty good. Sounds
like Louis Armstrong back there. (Laughter.)
Good afternoon, everybody. It is a great honor for
me to be in Accra and to speak to the
representatives of the people of Ghana. (Applause.)
I am deeply grateful for the welcome that I've
received, as are Michelle and Malia and Sasha Obama.
Ghana's history is rich, the ties between our two
countries are strong, and I am proud that this is my
first visit to sub-Saharan Africa as President of
the United States of America. (Applause.)
I want to thank Madam Speaker and all the members of
the House of Representatives for hosting us today. I
want to thank President Mills for his outstanding
leadership. To the former Presidents -- Jerry
Rawlings, former President Kufuor -- Vice President,
Chief Justice -- thanks to all of you for your
extraordinary hospitality and the wonderful
institutions that you've built here in Ghana.
I'm speaking to you at the end of a long trip. I
began in Russia for a summit between two great
powers. I traveled to Italy for a meeting of the
world's leading economies. And I've come here to
Ghana for a simple reason: The 21st century will be
shaped by what happens not just in Rome or Moscow or
Washington, but by what happens in Accra, as well.
(Applause.)
This is the simple truth of a time when the
boundaries between people are overwhelmed by our
connections. Your prosperity can expand America's
prosperity. Your health and security can contribute
to the world's health and security. And the strength
of your democracy can help advance human rights for
people everywhere.
So I do not see the countries and peoples of Africa
as a world apart; I see Africa as a fundamental part
of our interconnected world -- (applause) -- as
partners with America on behalf of the future we
want for all of our children. That partnership must
be grounded in mutual responsibility and mutual
respect. And that is what I want to speak with you
about today.
We must start from the simple premise that Africa's
future is up to Africans.
I say this knowing full well the tragic past that
has sometimes haunted this part of the world. After
all, I have the blood of Africa within me, and my
family's -- (applause) -- my family's own story
encompasses both the tragedies and triumphs of the
larger African story.
Some you know my grandfather was a cook for the
British in Kenya, and though he was a respected
elder in his village, his employers called him "boy"
for much of his life. He was on the periphery of
Kenya's liberation struggles, but he was still
imprisoned briefly during repressive times. In his
life, colonialism wasn't simply the creation of
unnatural borders or unfair terms of trade -- it was
something experienced personally, day after day,
year after year.
My father grew up herding goats in a tiny village,
an impossible distance away from the American
universities where he would come to get an
education. He came of age at a moment of
extraordinary promise for Africa. The struggles of
his own father's generation were giving birth to new
nations, beginning right here in Ghana. (Applause.)
Africans were educating and asserting themselves in
new ways, and history was on the move.
But despite the progress that has been made -- and
there has been considerable progress in many parts
of Africa -- we also know that much of that promise
has yet to be fulfilled. Countries like Kenya had a
per capita economy larger than South Korea's when I
was born. They have badly been outpaced. Disease and
conflict have ravaged parts of the African
continent.
In many places, the hope of my father's generation
gave way to cynicism, even despair. Now, it's easy
to point fingers and to pin the blame of these
problems on others. Yes, a colonial map that made
little sense helped to breed conflict. The West has
often approached Africa as a patron or a source of
resources rather than a partner. But the West is not
responsible for the destruction of the Zimbabwean
economy over the last decade, or wars in which
children are enlisted as combatants. In my father's
life, it was partly tribalism and patronage and
nepotism in an independent Kenya that for a long
stretch derailed his career, and we know that this
kind of corruption is still a daily fact of life for
far too many.
Now, we know that's also not the whole story. Here
in Ghana, you show us a face of Africa that is too
often overlooked by a world that sees only tragedy
or a need for charity. The people of Ghana have
worked hard to put democracy on a firmer footing,
with repeated peaceful transfers of power even in
the wake of closely contested elections. (Applause.)
And by the way, can I say that for that the minority
deserves as much credit as the majority. (Applause.)
And with improved governance and an emerging civil
society, Ghana's economy has shown impressive rates
of growth. (Applause.)
This progress may lack the drama of 20th century
liberation struggles, but make no mistake: It will
ultimately be more significant. For just as it is
important to emerge from the control of other
nations, it is even more important to build one's
own nation.
So I believe that this moment is just as promising
for Ghana and for Africa as the moment when my
father came of age and new nations were being born.
This is a new moment of great promise. Only this
time, we've learned that it will not be giants like
Nkrumah and Kenyatta who will determine Africa's
future. Instead, it will be you -- the men and women
in Ghana's parliament -- (applause) -- the people
you represent. It will be the young people brimming
with talent and energy and hope who can claim the
future that so many in previous generations never
realized.
Now, to realize that promise, we must first
recognize the fundamental truth that you have given
life to in Ghana: Development depends on good
governance. (Applause.) That is the ingredient which
has been missing in far too many places, for far too
long. That's the change that can unlock Africa's
potential. And that is a responsibility that can
only be met by Africans.
As for America and the West, our commitment must be
measured by more than just the dollars we spend.
I've pledged substantial increases in our foreign
assistance, which is in Africa's interests and
America's interests. But the true sign of success is
not whether we are a source of perpetual aid that
helps people scrape by -- it's whether we are
partners in building the capacity for
transformational change. (Applause.)
This mutual responsibility must be the foundation of
our partnership. And today, I'll focus on four areas
that are critical to the future of Africa and the
entire developing world: democracy, opportunity,
health, and the peaceful resolution of conflict.
First, we must support strong and sustainable
democratic governments. (Applause.)
As I said in Cairo, each nation gives life to
democracy in its own way, and in line with its own
traditions. But history offers a clear verdict:
Governments that respect the will of their own
people, that govern by consent and not coercion, are
more prosperous, they are more stable, and more
successful than governments that do not.
This is about more than just holding elections. It's
also about what happens between elections.
(Applause.) Repression can take many forms, and too
many nations, even those that have elections, are
plagued by problems that condemn their people to
poverty. No country is going to create wealth if its
leaders exploit the economy to enrich themselves --
(applause) -- or if police -- if police can be
bought off by drug traffickers. (Applause.) No
business wants to invest in a place where the
government skims 20 percent off the top --
(applause) -- or the head of the Port Authority is
corrupt. No person wants to live in a society where
the rule of law gives way to the rule of brutality
and bribery. (Applause.) That is not democracy, that
is tyranny, even if occasionally you sprinkle an
election in there. And now is the time for that
style of governance to end. (Applause.)
In the 21st century, capable, reliable, and
transparent institutions are the key to success --
strong parliaments; honest police forces;
independent judges -- (applause); an independent
press; a vibrant private sector; a civil society.
(Applause.) Those are the things that give life to
democracy, because that is what matters in people's
everyday lives.
Now, time and again, Ghanaians have chosen
constitutional rule over autocracy, and shown a
democratic spirit that allows the energy of your
people to break through. (Applause.) We see that in
leaders who accept defeat graciously -- the fact
that President Mills' opponents were standing beside
him last night to greet me when I came off the plane
spoke volumes about Ghana -- (applause); victors who
resist calls to wield power against the opposition
in unfair ways. We see that spirit in courageous
journalists like Anas Aremeyaw Anas, who risked his
life to report the truth. We see it in police like
Patience Quaye, who helped prosecute the first human
trafficker in Ghana. (Applause.) We see it in the
young people who are speaking up against patronage,
and participating in the political process.
Across Africa, we've seen countless examples of
people taking control of their destiny, and making
change from the bottom up. We saw it in Kenya, where
civil society and business came together to help
stop post-election violence. We saw it in South
Africa, where over three-quarters of the country
voted in the recent election -- the fourth since the
end of Apartheid. We saw it in Zimbabwe, where the
Election Support Network braved brutal repression to
stand up for the principle that a person's vote is
their sacred right.
Now, make no mistake: History is on the side of
these brave Africans, not with those who use coups
or change constitutions to stay in power.
(Applause.) Africa doesn't need strongmen, it needs
strong institutions. (Applause.)
Now, America will not seek to impose any system of
government on any other nation. The essential truth
of democracy is that each nation determines its own
destiny. But what America will do is increase
assistance for responsible individuals and
responsible institutions, with a focus on supporting
good governance -- on parliaments, which check
abuses of power and ensure that opposition voices
are heard -- (applause); on the rule of law, which
ensures the equal administration of justice; on
civic participation, so that young people get
involved; and on concrete solutions to corruption
like forensic accounting and automating services --
(applause) -- strengthening hotlines, protecting
whistle-blowers to advance transparency and
accountability.
And we provide this support. I have directed my
administration to give greater attention to
corruption in our human rights reports. People
everywhere should have the right to start a business
or get an education without paying a bribe.
(Applause.) We have a responsibility to support
those who act responsibly and to isolate those who
don't, and that is exactly what America will do.
Now, this leads directly to our second area of
partnership: supporting development that provides
opportunity for more people.
With better governance, I have no doubt that Africa
holds the promise of a broader base of prosperity.
Witness the extraordinary success of Africans in my
country, America. They're doing very well. So
they've got the talent, they've got the
entrepreneurial spirit. The question is, how do we
make sure that they're succeeding here in their home
countries? The continent is rich in natural
resources. And from cell phone entrepreneurs to
small farmers, Africans have shown the capacity and
commitment to create their own opportunities. But
old habits must also be broken. Dependence on
commodities -- or a single export -- has a tendency
to concentrate wealth in the hands of the few, and
leaves people too vulnerable to downturns.
So in Ghana, for instance, oil brings great
opportunities, and you have been very responsible in
preparing for new revenue. But as so many Ghanaians
know, oil cannot simply become the new cocoa. From
South Korea to Singapore, history shows that
countries thrive when they invest in their people
and in their infrastructure -- (applause); when they
promote multiple export industries, develop a
skilled workforce, and create space for small and
medium-sized businesses that create jobs.
As Africans reach for this promise, America will be
more responsible in extending our hand. By cutting
costs that go to Western consultants and
administration, we want to put more resources in the
hands of those who need it, while training people to
do more for themselves. (Applause.) That's why our
$3.5 billion food security initiative is focused on
new methods and technologies for farmers -- not
simply sending American producers or goods to
Africa. Aid is not an end in itself. The purpose of
foreign assistance must be creating the conditions
where it's no longer needed. I want to see Ghanaians
not only self-sufficient in food, I want to see you
exporting food to other countries and earning money.
You can do that. (Applause.)
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