7 Takeaways from President Joe Biden’s Closing Remarks at the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit

US President Joe Biden hosted the second U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington, D.C. for three days.

The summit, which took place from December 13 to 15, 2022, involved conversations revolving around higher education, the creative industries, the African diaspora in the U.S., trade and investment promotion, environmental equity and climate action, and health cooperation.

Here are seven key quotes from Joe Biden during his closing remarks at the U.S.-Africa Business Forum as part of the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit:

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• This forum is about building connections. It’s about closing deals. And above all, it’s about the future, our shared future. We’ve known for a long time that Africa’s success and prosperity is essential to ensuring a better future for all of us, not just for Africa.
• When I was Vice President, serving with President Obama, we hosted the first U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit, including U.S.-Africa Business Forum. We saw so clearly the enormous potential that we could harness if we did it together.  And holding the first-of-its-kind summit in 2014 was a watershed moment to cement new kinds of partnerships between our nations, partnerships not to create political obligation, not — or foster dependence — its dependence, but to spur shared success — I emphasize “shared success” — and opportunity.  Because when Africa succeeds, the United States succeeds; quite frankly, the whole world succeeds as well.
• We can’t solve any of these challenges without African leadership at the table — and I’m not trying to be nice; that’s a fact — African ideas and innovation helping to shape the solutions and Africa population contributing to every step.

•  Africa’s economic transition depends on good government, healthy populations, and reliable and affordable energy.  These things business seeks out when they’re looking to invest.  They attract new opportunities, and they launch new partnerships.
• The United States is all in on Africa’s future… First, the United States is signing an historic memorandum of understanding with the new African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat. Second, we’re investing to facilitate greater regional trade within Africa, including by investing in infrastructure… Third, we’re continuing to support innovation and entrepreneurship across Africa, investing in the African — investing in Africa’s people.
• So, today, I’m announcing a new initiative: the Digital Transformation with Africa.  Working with Congress to invest $350 million to facilitate more than almost half a billion dollars in financing to make sure more people across Africa can participate in the digital economy.
• Altogether, the forum has spurred more than $15 billion in new deals, which will turn, lift up, and improve lives of people all across the continent.  And that’s the biggest deal of all.

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