05 Aug 2009
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has begun her tour of seven African nations by stressing Washington's desire to become a 'partner' of Africa.

Clinton arrived in Kenya on the first leg of her tour on Wednesday, launching a surprise video message by US President Barack Obama, addressing the continent.

"To all Africans who are pursuing a future of hope and opportunity, know this: you have a partner and a friend in the United States," said Obama whose father was born in Kenya.

The 11-day trip, which comes just three weeks after Obama visited Ghana, is to emphasize the importance of Africa for the Obama administration.

Meanwhile, opening the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Forum in Nairobi, Clinton said that Washington wants to be a “partner, not patron” of Africa.

Stressing on the importance of issues such as investment, corruption and human rights, the top official warned that Africa's economic progress would depend on good governance.

"True economic progress in Africa will depend on responsible governments that reject corruption, enforce the rule of law, and deliver results for their people," Clinton said.

She also told the forum, which was attended by Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga, that "investors will not be attracted to states with failed or weak leadership; crime and civil unrest; or corruption that taints every transaction and decision."

Her remarks were a reference to Kenya, a top Washington ally in Africa, which has been condemned for its failure to implement key points of a power-sharing deal that ended a deadly electoral violence last year.

The AGOA initiative -- a program which provides some 40 sub-Saharan nations with preferential access to US markets -- has been widely criticized for its inability to provide basic needs for Africans who are mostly suffering from extreme poverty.

While still in Kenya, Clinton is also to meet Somali President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, whose interim government is struggling with insurgency.

Clinton is next expected to fly to South Africa, Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo, followed by Liberia and the Cape Verde.
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