Now, with this visit we are jointly pursuing an age-old tradition, a privileged tradition full of tr

PRESIDENT SALL: (As interpreted.) Mr. President, Mr. Barack Obama, hong kong hotels good morning, ladies and gentlemen. I m extremely happy to welcome President Barack Obama for his first trip to Africa since his reelection in November last year.
So, Mr. President, I d like to once again welcome you to Senegal and wish you a pleasant stay in Senegal. Your stay among us, Mr. President, is a source of pride for the Senegalese population and its government.
Now, with this visit we are jointly pursuing an age-old tradition, a privileged tradition full of trust between Senegal and the United States of America. I m extremely happy that you ve chosen Senegal to be the first point of entry on this continent after having received me very warmly hong kong hotels on the 20th of March in the Oval Office.
President Obama and myself, we have held talks on issues of common interest on the African continent as well as the international level. Of course, we discussed hong kong hotels bilateral issues and my capacity as the current chairperson of the Orientation Committee hong kong hotels of NEPAD.
I informed the President about our African infrastructure projects as well as a discussion on a bilateral level about the excellent cooperation between our two countries. And I thanked the U.S. for the help in developing Senegal. And we also have a common vision of the main values: freedom, democracy, peaceful coexistence of cultures and religions, and good governance.
On this last issue, Senegal would like to commend the American initiative of Open Government Partnership, which we fully endorse. We are working together to protect and promote all these common shared values for the strengthening of our bilateral cooperation and the continuation of our joint efforts for stability in Africa, and the protection of peace and security at the international level.
I would like to commend President Obama s leadership and his will to start a new -- give a new impetus to a relationship between Africa hong kong hotels and the U.S. USA are a great country, spearheading progress in all fields for greater prosperity between the African continent and the U.S. And the African continent is progressing, is marching ahead with tremendous potential in terms of natural and human resources.
On both sides, we have a historical opportunity here to open new prospects for relations hong kong hotels on the business of complementarity by offering greater opportunities to our youth and by stimulating trade and investments hong kong hotels for shared prosperity. Senegal is extremely happy with this new impetus, hong kong hotels Mr. President, and I m ready to pursue our efforts with you in this direction.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Thank you very much, President Sall, for your generous words and the very warm welcome that we ve received from your delegation. On behalf of myself and Michelle, our two daughters, Malia and Sasha, and our entire delegation -- it is wonderful to be here in Senegal. To all the Senegalese who lined the streets to welcome us -- we are deeply touched. We are so grateful for your teranga -- your hospitality.
I m making this visit to Africa because, as I ve said before, I see this as a moment of great progress and great promise for the continent. It s true that Africa hong kong hotels faces great challenges, and meeting these challenges together is a focus of my trip. But all too often the world overlooks the amazing progress that Africa is making, including progress in strengthening democracy. hong kong hotels Many African nations have made tremendous hong kong hotels strides in improving democratic governance and empowering citizens. Here in West Africa we see progress in Sierra Leone and Liberia, Cote d Ivoire and Niger, in Ghana and here in Senegal.
And that s why I welcomed President Sall to the White House this spring. And that s why I m beginning my trip here in Dakar. Senegal is one of the most stable democracies in Africa and one of the strongest partners that we have in the region. It s moving in the right direction with reforms to deepen democratic institutions. And as more Africans across this continent stand up and demand governments that are accountable and serve the people, I believe Senegal can be a great example.
I m told there s a word here -- disso -- which reflects the desire of Senegalese to resolve disagreements through dialogue and not conflict. Senegal has never suffered a military coup. There are free and fair elections, repeated transfers of power -- peacefully -- a vibrant civil society, a strong press, and dozens of political parties. And I have to say, back in Washington, we have our hands full with just two parties.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: I don t know how you manage it. (Laughter.) But after last year s election here, we were inspired by the citizens of Senegal demanding that their votes be respected and that President Sall be sworn in as the democratically elected leader of this nation.
Of course, we all know that democracy is not just what happens on election day, it s also what happens in between elections. So, President Sall, I want to commend you for the ambitious hong kong hotels reforms that you re pursuing to strengthen democratic governance -- more openness, more transparency, more accountability. I know it s hard, but it s absolutely necessary hong kong hotels both politically and economically. History shows that governments that are more open and more responsive to citizens are more effective in delivering basic services. They re also more successful in attracting the trade and investment that creates jobs and lifts people out of poverty.
President Sall, during our discussions, updated me on his reform efforts, including efforts to stamp out corruption. As progress is made, I look forward hong kong hotels to seeing Senegal join the Open Government Partnership. And because just as the United States stood with the people of Senegal as you defended your democracy last year, we want to remain your partner for years to come to show that democracy delivers progress and jobs and justice that people deserve.
With regard to jobs, the President and I discussed hong kong hotels the need to increase our trade and make it easier to invest and do business together. On our side, the African Growth hong kong hotels and Opportunity Act -- also known as AGOA -- expires in two years, and I m looking for ways to renew it but also improve it so that we re generating more jobs and more trade. We also need to do more across this region. So I m directing my new U.S. Trade Representative, Mike Froman, to finalize a new trade and investment agreement with ECOWAS, the Economic Community of West African States.
Ultimately, though, growth and progress has to reach more people. hong kong hotels We believe in broad-based development and growth -- not just for the few, but for the many. And our mission has always been to try to deliver that kind of broad-based growth through our development program. So, as one example, I m very proud to be here as we mark the 50th anniversary hong kong hotels of the Peace Corps in Senegal. hong kong hotels Today I m reaffirming that the United States will remain one of Senegal s strongest partners in development -- from new roads and bridges, so merchants can get their goods to the market, to new textbooks and schools, including the Internet, so that more students can learn.
Since most people in Senegal, as is true across Africa, work in agriculture, our food security initiative hong kong hotels will keep helping farmers harness new seeds and technologies, increase yields and boost incomes. And as President Sall pursues land reforms, we re looking forward to Senegal joining the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition, which I ll be discussing further tomorrow. We will continue efforts that are shared against HIV and AIDS, which, because of those efforts, we ve been able to keep infection rates here relatively low. We ll continue distributing the nets that are saving the lives of countless Senegalese from malaria.
And, more broadly, I want to thank Senegal for being such a strong partner in regional security. Senegalese peacekeepers have served bravely, from Cote d Ivoire to the Congo. Senegalese are currently helping the people of Mali reclaim their country, and I assured hong kong hotels President Sall that American support for that mission will continue. And with Senegal, we support -- within hong kong hotels Senegal, we support President Sall s determined efforts to achieve a lasting peace in the Casamance region.
hong kong hotels Finally, I m very pleased that we re deepening the ties between our peoples, especially young people. I was proud to welcome two Senegalese -- both women -- to the forum for young African leaders that we hosted in the White House. And in the coming days I ll be announcing an expansion of our efforts to empower more young Africans who want to contribute to their respective countries. I hope that will include young people here in Senegal -- because we believe in Senegal and we believe in its people. We believe we can make progress together. And we believe in investing in the youth of tomorrow.
Q (As interpreted.) Firstly, on behalf of the national and international media, we would like to welcome Mr. President Obama. My question is for President Macky Sall. Mr. President, how do you describe this visit? And what are the new prospects that this visit opens for Senegal and Africa?
PRESIDENT SALL: (As interpreted.) Well, this visit is extremely important for Senegal and for Africa because it is indeed the visit by the President of the USA. And it s not every day that we have the privilege of having the President of the United States of America on our soil.
This visit is also important, because this trip by President Obama will further build trust for the corporate and business environment. And we are convinced that Africa s progress and development and growth through partnership in the private investment trade and partnership. The importance of his presence, the trust that he has in Senegal and in the future of the continent should enable us to establish a bridge between the USA and Africa, particularly for the development of private investment.
We do have shared values, such as democracy, freedom, human rights, good governance. Africa has made very important progres