The Millennium Challenge Corporation was honored to host today four African leaders, President Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone, President Macky Sall of Senegal, President Joyce Banda of Malawi, and Prime Minister José Maria Pereira Neves of Cape Verde, together with colleagues from several other U.S. Government agencies for an intimate and productive discussion on how to increase opportunities for economic growth, trade and investment throughout Africa. I was also pleased to be on hand when President Obama greeted the four African leaders at the White House. President Obama recognized their strong commitment to advancing democratic values, which are fundamental to increasing economic opportunities.
The dialogue at MCC focused on ways to enhance two-way trade and investment as well as regional economic integration, thereby spurring business and investment in Sierra Leone, Senegal, Malawi, and Cape Verde. Broad-based and sustainable economic growth is the key to enable greater self-sufficiency and opportunity throughout Africa, and private sector investment must drive this growth. The U.S. Government, including MCC, will continue to leverage the full complement of our efforts and tools in partnership with the four countries represented at our roundtable today to advance their homegrown strategies to strengthen their democratic institutions, promote private sector involvement and contribute to the fight against poverty.