United States–Africa Leaders Summit
| US–Africa Leaders Summit | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Host country | United States |
| Date | August 4–6, 2014 |
| Motto | Investing in the Next Generation |
| Venue(s) |
Mandarin Oriental Hotel White House Harry S Truman Building |
| Cities | Washington, D.C. |
| Participants |
Barack Obama 50 African leaders (incl. 37 HOS) U.S. Business Executives |
| Website | Official website |
The United States–Africa Leaders Summit was an international summit held in Washington D.C. from August 4–6, 2014. Leaders from fifty African states attended the three-day summit, which was hosted by U.S. President Barack Obama. The summit primarily focused on trade, investment and security of the continent.
On July 31, 2014, just days before the Summit, there was an On-the-Record-Conference Press Call, the discussions and details of the conference which afforded enormous insight into the Summit in advance were released by the White House Office of the Press Secretary. The participants were (1) Ben Rhodes, Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications; (2) Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs; and (3) Gayle Smith, Senior Director for Development and Democracy at the National Security Council.
In 2013, President Obama whilst on a three-nation tour of Africa, announced his plans to host a summit of leaders from across Africa. America's annual trade with the continent is about $85 billion compared to China's $200 billion. President Obama in an interview with The Economist, welcomed foreign investment in the continent saying "the more the merrier" and advised African leaders to ensure that local workers benefit from the infrastructure projects and that the roads shouldn't "just lead from the mine, to the port, to Shanghai."
The summit will focus on trade and investment and will underline the United State's commitment to the continent's people, democracy and security. It will facilitate the discussion on how to deepen this partnership. US Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker said that new deals worth about $900 million would be announced at the summit.
A number of organisations have written to President Obama to draw particular attention to the rights of LGBT Africans. The Human Rights Campaign and Human Rights First issued a statement urging Obama to include the discrimination against this minority in the agenda and described this summit as a 'once-in-a-generation moment' to promote equality.Homosexuality is criminalized in 37 Africans states. It is punishable by death in four countries: Mauritania, Nigeria (states under Sharia law), Somalia and Sudan; and up to life imprisonment in Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. Only South Africa grants full marriage equality and constitutional protection against discrimination.
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