Transcripts For CSPAN2 Rep. 20240703

Good afternoon everyone. I am congresswoman i am truly honored to have all of you here. [applause] as we host our first Congressional Black Caucus annual legislative conference and brain trust on Foreign Policy. This years discussion will focus on the continent of africa, the challenges it faces and its future as a rapidly growing continent. Our theme is our africa, our future. Which coincides with and takes its inspiration from the 60th anniversary of the african union. Celebrated this year. We are having this conversation at a time of tremendous challenges but also tremendous opportunities for the people of africa. Africa is dealing with the growing threat of the climate crisis. With severe drought, famine reimaging the horn of africa the increasing instability. But africa is also undergoing a tremendous Economic Growth. The center for international internationaldevelopment projecn african countries will be among the 15 Fastest Growing economies over the next five years. Improving Education Systems increase trade are already improving the lives of thousands of millions of africans the poverty rates continues to plummet and migration is increasing as well. Spurring the spread of ideas, entrepreneurship and investment. Youth movements like in senegal, and in the Dominican Republic of congo are sweeping the continent giving us many reasons for hope. We dont talk about the successful stories enough. And i hope today we will be given that opportunity. Thank you so much, your leadership in wto comes at critical junction. Thank you, thank you, congresswoman. Is it works . Thank you very much, thank you for what youre doing to u. S. Africa relationships. I think much is needed. Let me start by saying im director of the World Trade Organization and i ask myself how can the wt of course and the multilateral trading system is supportive of our continent and i started by looking at what the organizations purposes. Thats why i joined the organization. It says that the wtos purpose is to enhance livering standards help create employment and support Sustainable Development of its members. That means its all about people and the people centered organizations that is rules based could be made to do more for our continent but when you look at the numbers, they are not very good. Africa is only 3 of world trade. Africa trade is limited 16 to 20 and yet supposed to foster enhanced Living Standards and create employment. So the key question is, what can we do especially in relationship to what is happening today so let me say that there are one or two things going in our favor. We know we have many in continent and we suffer from the neighborhood effects. Even if youre thousands of miles away its still africa. There are many opportunities we can see. First one is the largest one by country. 1. 4 billion, if we can really make that work, meaning lower the barriers between our countries and increase trading and provide market as large as china and india. Thats attractive for investment. This is a very important point and then i started asking myself, at this time instead of looking at the geopolitical tensions what are the opportunities that we see and there are many and im going to repeat something that i said in new york, africa is at juncture being courted by russia, china, by india, everybody. Africa has many suitors and what we must do is practice poleandry, we have to marry them all. We have to harness what it is, one thing that we can take advantage of now is the global desire to build resilience in the trade system. We have seen the vulnerabilities and supply chains during the pandemic and the war. In ukraine and the world is trying to say how do we build resilience, the same as Climate Change can do. What we are urging from wto reimagining globalization and to use this opportunity to regloballize, thats what we call it. Supply chains to those countries that were left out in the first place and using this to bring them into the margins of global trade. So thats how our continent can seize the opportunities. Why should we import 90 of our medicines and 99 of our vaccines . Why cant we manufacture them in our continent . Why cant we add value to minerals, have them processed in the continent . The world needs that for recash recarbonizing. Im excited. Like the United States could be better geared for access to International Markets . Well, i think we talked about it. Have they changed anything materially for the country. We looked at the trade between European Union and africa, the european africa is largest trading partner now by taking by china by 2030. We look at 14 epa, economic agreements negotiated with the eu and we look and saw that trade has not materially increased between eu and africa. Meaning we are not really benefiting. So i think we need to ask ourselves the question why. We want to renegotiate and we want to extend it now because we think its still opportunities, african union, Everyone Wants it. How can we use it to help us improve our Living Standards . We need to make sure that it really allows us to send in products that are manufactured in the continent, not just Raw Materials, we need to create good jobs for our people and export products that have value to them. Thats how we can benefit. The u. S. Markets should be open to that. Not just Raw Materials but commodities. We ourselves have a job to do. Not just those opening their markets. We have problems with the quality of our product so we cant meet certain requirements. We have problems with even meeting quantities demanded, walmart or target wants to buy something, they want huge quantities and sometimes they are not able to meet the demand. We have work to do to benefit from this agreement. Definitely. Why do you think more african countries are trading with the outside world and not within the continent . How do we change that . What advocacy or work is the World Trade Organization doing to promote more internal trading within the african continent . Because 17 i think is where its at right now and that sounds insane. Its a very, very important question. The reason is that the cost of trade between african countries is too high. It is cheap tore send something to china from legos, than from legos, i dont know so we have to ask ourselves why. 300 tariffs. Just think about it. Already people are disadvantaged, customs, barriers, investment barriers, customs, lack of infrastructure. All sorts of costs and i say some of them we can do away with. The trade barriers and the customs, lets digitize. If we can digitize we can reduce costs. We need the lower the costs of trading with each other and with the outside. Thats the big problem and the biggest barrier is infrastructure. We are not well connected with each other if we cannot build a rail and the roads and the air from one part of the continent to the other, sometimes they have to fly to europe to get to another country, thats not really acceptable. We have to solve the problem. Its not like people are going to come do it for us. Theres a lot of talk about free trade zones. Im curious to hear your perspective on that movement in the continent, what are the pros and cons . Pioneered by china. Taxes and so on. They are law, nonexistent so that companies can produce and export. Its a good thing. It would be very low in such zones provided they work and they can export. Ive seen trade zones in certain countries where instead of exporting, they are importing into the country and competing with existing enterprises and that doesnt work. So if we are going to have the free trade zones, lets use them properly. And lets make sure that the cost are low and those located in the zones can really materially increase exports for us. I think we can talk all day but you have to get to an event. I want to thank you so much for joining us and thank you for your incredible insight and the important work that you do and inspiring generation of African Women to lead. Well, thank you very much and thank you all for listening. Thank you for the incredible work you do. [applause] all right, we will continue our speeddating round. Now im honored to welcome patrick, the ceo and president for the center for American Progress. Welcome patrick. Thank you for allowing a mediocre man with these women. Given the background in the Public Sector anden in profit sector, how do you think our government and Civil Society can collaborate can african governments and their Civil Society to strengthen Economic Cooperation . Thank you for the question and thank you for the extraordinary leadership in congress particularly in standing up Foreign Policy work that integrates africa centrally in that role. Ive had the privilege of being in government leading philanthropies and being activist in our diaspora. In every single one of those spaces i had the sense that we have been underutilizing diaspora and underleveraging the extraordinary power that could benefit all of us from the african continent if we leaned into sharper partnership. Its been thrilling to see the Vice President of the United States, the treasury secretary of the u. S. , a number of other cabinet officers go to the continent with the private sector in toe and not just arriving at the goal post rhetoric becoming actual partnership to the tune of 27 billion in actualized realized deals from the africa summit in december of last year through recent compacts in the last several weeks. Thats extraordinary but we are at a moment of intense geopolitical competition and rivalries and we are at a point where we are facing a number of existential threats not the least of which is, of course, Climate Change and i would in responding to that question really focus on this question of climate. We should all appreciate that by 2050 the african by 2050 africans will comprise a quarter of the worlds population and 50 of the worlds youth. Did you hear me, quarter of the World Population and 50 of the worlds youth. Being in partnership with africans, africa for our Civil Society and government its not a question that charity, its actually absolutely necessary if we are going to overcome the great challenges of the day and innovate in spaces like climate. Africa has something to the order of about 60 of the potential Renewable Energy on the planet. It has a third of all the Critical Minerals that we need for things like our telephones, electric vehicles that, a number of interesting billionaires are building and and yet there are about 600 million folks in sub Sahara Africa lacking electricity or electrical generation. So theres keen and Important Partnership that should be sharpened between american folks in the west to africans that would be the Mutual Benefit of africans that are denied that access and the rest of the world that are increasingly dependent on those Energy Sources if we are going to make this transition on time to literally save the planet. I think that the stats you mentioned oftentimes people dont think about it or hear it. So thank you so much for doing that. During your tenure as ambassador to south africa, you led critical efforts, greatly integrating and improving south africas healthcare and infrastructure, can you go into more detail of that work abroad and how it impacted your understanding, role of diplomacy in strengthening africau. S. Partnership . Im copy to do that since im shameless unapologetic cheerleader. Pepfar the emergency plan for aids release. It has made hundreds of billions, its made hundreds of billions of dollars of investments around the world and has save tad million lives s and was initiated by president bush at the height of the aids epidemic and renewed consistently by democratic and republican president s, democratic and republican senates an congress, however, in the several months there are some performative members of congress who are holding up peffar as exhibit a in their culture wars and they are wrongly accusing the leaders of pepfar somehow providing Reproductive Services Reproductive Health health services, Abortion Services around the world which is not the case at all. What peffar actually is the greatest Prolife Program that the u. S. Taxpayer has ever invested in. I will tell you i had the privilege of serving this country in south africa as ambassadorburg during the moment of sars epidemic in parts of the continent. When south african trained epidemiologists who were able to advance to the ranks of the academy and in their labs as a consequence of u. S. Investments able to go to other parts of the continent to provide emergency relief not on aids and hiv but other consequential healthcare matters. There are thousands of laboratories in the continent. Pepfar has helped generate capacity healthcare and church in south africa, in cape town. He was at the Un General Assembly a few days ago and he was involved with pepfar renewal and said to american, you dont want your relationship in africa to be defined through a security prism. You really should lean further and harder into investments like pepfar. You should be rightly proud of them. Every american should be made aware of it and if you truly are in competition with other nation states for the hearts and minds and souls an partnership of africa, you want to lift up efforts exactly like this one. Im an evangelist for pepfar and proud that the vast majority, not just democrats in congress but your republican colleagues as well. I think its fascinating hear republicans talk about pepfar because it was a republican president initiative. We should give a shoutout to congresswoman barbara lee for leading the charge in that fight. I dont know how she convinced to do it but she con quinced bush to do it in the midst of voting against the iraq war. Extraordinary diplomacy. It is extraordinary. You you have not only served as an ambassador to south africa but you have another connection to africa. You were born in africa. Werent we all . And so its no surprise that the organization that youre leading now has a new Foreign Policy lens. What work are you guys looking forward to doing in regards to africa . Thank you, i was born in the republic of congo of haitian parents. Its a complicated its a complicated history. My father always like fun fact when i found out. My father likes to joke that he had to flee and ended up with richard nixon. He wasnt sure he had done much better. The center for American Progress does have regional expert oh, my god. Regional expertise in africa now. Im proud that my colleague anne griffin is here. She focused, yes, on the Climate Transition but also on the Critical Minerals question as well and on sovereign debt which really has to be curved and curtailed but the only way that you get at the sovereign debt issue on the continent congresswoman is if we reform constitutions like the world bank, imf, et cetera, because we know that in all of those spaces there has been a reluckance to african countries because we have been deemed too risky. Like black folks going to the bank and trying to start a Small Business always deemed too risky. In the meanwhile we have the best talent for hustle. African nations have been considered way risky to be invested by those institutions but in the meanwhile they are spending all of their resources trying to mitigate famine and drought thats caused by Climate Change thats led, of course, by the things that we are doing here in the u. S. And elsewhere. So theres a need to reform those institutions, theres a need to infuse significant capital in the global south not as aid but as investment around renewables, for instance, if we are going to change the narrative and through the change of narrative the story as well. You have someone else thats a powerful storyteller and i know that politics is down stream of storytelling and culture. If we think about the challenges that we faced in the u. S. And elsewhere we have to recognize the solution to those challenges lies in africa literally on the ground, under the ground and in partnership. I want to go a little further than what my elder sister from the wto said earlier for the need for africans, i think its kind of different. You know reality show married at first sight. Unfortunately africa has been married at first sight to too many folks after the first date and we have to make the second date a little more complicated than its been. Right now it was an extraordinary Climate Summit which was solidarity, the peoples compact and those two stories are incredibly different. Right now in kenya 90 of kenyas energy comes from geothermal basins, 90 of Renewable Energy. However, all of the energy accrues to kenyans only through the instruments of multilateral private sector that charges kenyans exorbitant rates for access to their own energy. We have to change that and flip that and so with my colleague in the center for American Progress we are doing everything that we can to advocate within partnership and on behalf of Civil Society. Thank you for that and i look forward to seeing the impacts that your work has and look forward to collaborating with you. Thank you so much patrick for joining us. Please give him a round of applause. [applause] all right. Next i would like to welcome the honorable alexia, assistant secretary for International Trade and development at the u. S. Department of treasury on the stage. I feel like a talk show host. [laughter] you have extensive expertise in International Development and Financial Services systems development. Could you tell us more about the role of the Africa Growth and opportunity, we heard a little bit about it earlier and how it leads to support of african continental free trade area. Thank you for your leadership. Its great to be here. If i might just start one level up from your question. I want to emphasize a lot of things that patrick was also saying. I was with secretary yellen when he went to visit synagogue, zambia and what she said the future of the Global Economy would be shaped by africa and so this really is about the Economic Opportunity and futures of the continent and the world being late and thats in large part for reason that is we talked about. The youth in africa, the innovation, the local solution to problems that we are seeing from young africas that can be exported globally and and also i think in terms of climate as i think patrick also said that fact that the continent is so rich, wind, solar, the Critical Minerals and so part of the solution. So thats very much the spirit with which the Treasury Department engages with africa and when we travel to africa what we heard from leaders, what we heard from farmers, what we heard from the youth is very much we want to change the dynamic of the relationship with the United States and frankly with the rest of the world. We want investment. We want true partnership, we want voice and so in that sense it has not delivered everything that it might. We heard from about this but i think whats behind it which is the idea of equal partnership, opening up markets, we just looked at the issue of Food Security which is in such dire straits today exacerbated by Climate Change by russias invasion of ukraine by the covid pandemic and we know that 60 of uncultivated land is in on the african continent and africa is net importer of food. Why is that and i think getting to the bottom of how to change this is what our park is about. I think infrastructure will facilitate do flow of trade in the continent as you asked in the question with other partners as well. So i think we need to work on the policy regulations. We need to work on the soft and hard infrastructure to really give life to the potential of equal and fair trade within africa and across africa, the United States and other countries and agoa is up for renewal. Are there things that weve learned on why it hasnt delivered on its promise that we are will be changing . So madame congresswoman the decision with you and your peers if i may say so and i think my understanding that theres a list to get feedback from countries about what needs to be changed and for some countries it certainly has work and we have a former ambassador from south africa here. You know, the potential for agoa is linked to how the u. S. Determines and sees countries making progress on the gad governance, for example, i think really working with african partners with respect to the policy reforms, they themselves want to make to be able to open up more opportunities through programs like agoa is part of the conversation. And before your tenure at the treasury, you oversaw the implementation of important projects, millennium challenge corporation. Can you describe the work in mcc in more detail and explain how foreign aid and International Financial agencies could improve the planning and performance of Development Project . For those who dont know the millennium challenge corporation, i think its a jewel of broader architecture of the u. S. And initiative under republican president i have to say but its u. S. Development agency that provides grants. The tool is grants and the bulk of what it does is actually infrastructure. It actually helps build bricks and mortar and does it through country centered approach and does with doing studies with countries about what the most tricky wicked constrains to Economic Growth are and only after the diagnostic that the country then says, okay, here is 4, 5 things that are stifling Economic Growth and i want to work on mc on two of them. The program is designed of investment and policy and Institution Reform and sense of urgency in the partnership. 5 years for these compacts to deliver. Its built around lots of consultation with the citizens of the country that are meant to benefit. A tough Selection Process around some of the issues that you care about so i think countries to be eligible to work with mcc, theres sort of indicators around 3 main areas, economic freedom, looking at things to access to credit inflation around ruling justly. So thing like control of corruption as well as investing in people. So the rate, for example, in countries and countries that sort of perform well enough on the indicators are eligible and then very importantly in every single mcc country that has a program, theres a local implementing agency staffed by people of that country actually driving and overseeing the implementation of the programming. So i think its that mix of diagnostics, country ownership, focusing on the hard constraints to growth, doing Real Infrastructure work with urgency and accountability that makes m cc beloved by many partners and the bulk of the portfolio is in africa. And ive seen some of the work in ethiopia and its becoming mcc country today as we speak. I think they are celebrating that today. Weve heard a lot about debt, how burdensome that is. What is the United States doing to help with that burden . Its a tough priority for the Treasury Department and i will start by maybe saying something that you might not expect. Debt is an important tool for financing and development, right . If you think about yourselves, if you want to make a major purchase, maybe youre independently wealthy but us importals we need debt in our homes and schools. Debt is not a problem. The problem is when theres no responsibility, when theres no Consumer Protection around borrowing and so the first thing i would say we need to do a lot more with respect to Debt Management systems, debt transparency making sure the right kind of finance is available to those countries so they do not find themselves indebted. The point patrick was making about countries that are low income, certain kinds of investments where the return are long term. You actually need Grant Funding or very concessional funding. Thats my first point. With respect to the fact that unfortunately weve seen the lack of sustainability increasing over the past decade and frankly spiking to very Dangerous Levels with covid so now that we have seen since 2015 we have doubled the countries that are in highdebt distress so high risk of being debt distress. We need all official creditors, we need to private sector to work with the countries to have debt restructuring to give them breathing room. Because when countries are in debt distress, the harsh reality is they are spending money on debt servicing instead of education, health, investing in Climate Adaptation and so we have to collective by work on this. We worked on something called the g20 common framework that has tried to create the conditions to help countries get the debt restructuring they need. It has been too slow. It hasnt been predictable enough for countries. We are starting to make progress, there was a breakthrough for zambia in june. We are working on ghana now but we have to make progress. Weve had some countries who have not been willing to participate in the debt restructuring. Its not a bilateral issue. Its a multilateral issue when the country does not come to the table. There were some countries that thought that the multilateral institutions that patrick was talking about should participate in the restructuring. Thats not the u. S. Position. The last resort to inject, infuse new financing when these countries are in problem. They ned to be out of that system. So we have seen recent breakthroughs, little too late but we are starting to do that. We now have a global sovereign round table that brings together the emerging Market Countries that have debt challenges, the official creditors, the private sector to work on how we can do better to have more predictable time bound infrastructure for countries in distress. Huge priority for the Treasury Department. There was a movement in congress, right, to try to advocate for debt cancellation during covid and i hope that continues. Thank you so much secretary, we really do appreciate your insight for joining us today. Youre very welcome, thank you. [applause] i would like to bring the honorable janine davis, Deputy Assistant administrator, u. S. Aids bureau for africa to the stage now. [applause] administrator davis, you have let many initiatives at the african bureaus office of Sustainable Developments. How do you believe u. S. Partnerships should be best leveraged to support africas Sustainable Development goals . Thank you. First let me thank you for the opportunity and for this opportunity to talk about the future and Sustainable Development. I think many of my colleagues who have spoken today have mentioned the engagement with the private sector. I think we know that globally Public Sector funding is waning. Its true for africa, its true in the United States and theres so much more weve talked about u. S. Africa partnerships as well as privatesector partnerships within africa. My colleague mentioned at the u. S. Africa leader summit, Africa Business forum, we were able to leverage over 16 billion in partnerships with the usaid agency for International Development most recently weve had some really exciting deals through prosper africa. Weve signed over 150 million of partnerships in kenya recently. We just signed our tech trade alliance which is focused on ecommerce and digital and an Exciting New Partnership thats going to make 600,000 households to be able to have their own homes so really this key to sustainability making sure that we create opportunities, address the barriers that we are talking about to facilitate real partnerships, concrete partnerships with the private sector. You just mentioned some investments oftentimes when we visit african countries, the number 1 complaint we hear is that the United States does not invest in development in the continent. Why do you think there is the gap between the investments that are being made and the way in which people are talking about it . Yeah. Absolutely. I think as a Development Agency we often say we dont do as good a job as telling of telling the opportunities, the good parts of our story. I think its true across africa over and over the stories that you hear are about the crises as popsed to the achievements and the excitement and as we talk about this new generation of youth and innovations that theyre bringing and all that we are seeing in progress, we can just simply do a better job about talking about what were achieving and i think its true within the development sector. Its true about our investments in education and agriculture. You see it on the ground. You see its importance but as you mentioned, as our colleagues have mentioned, we are focused on the security lens, we are focused on the negative lens and theres real room for us to talk more about our development partnerships. Theres the 3ds, defense, diplomacy and development. Ive seen in many countries in africa where thats not its not equally divided and like we were in the chair or some of the countries. There was a real honest conversation about the ways in which the United States should show up a little bit more in that development. What have you seen as you try to advocate for that work . Sure, thank you for the question. I think is so within usaid i have the privilege and challenge to support our west africa engagement and in that discussions certainly weve had lots of discussion about the 3ds and the balance between them most recently we have our the law the global fragility act which we worked on very closely with congress and the strategy to prevent violence and promote stability and within that conversation again its been interesting to see that there hasnt been the recognition of the core importance of development and the ability for extremist organizations and others to use the lack of provision of basic services as a reason for people to turn to other organizations and others to get the basic needs met and so again weve been really its been important for us to be at the table, to be in discussions at the National Security council with the white house and others to be able to advocate for that third d. Theres a role for diplomacy, theres certainly a role for defense but really emphasizing that our engagement with the people is almost, is often our greatest investment thats appreciated by the people, so i really appreciate the question and its something that we are seeing more and more particularly in west africa now. I always say the investment in Development Almost is investment in defense and its an investment in diplomacy because people do actually remember and, you know, the more youre investing in development the less likely it is that you need defense, right, because security situations change when a country has the ability to thrive. You talked about the youth. What do you think about the movements that are happening in africa and the ways which we are showing up to help support the youth take hold of the future that they want for themselves . Absolutely, thank you. I think as usaid we are excited about our Young African leadership initiative, our program that has engaged youth across the continent with phenomenal innovations. Gone are the days congresswoman of when we used to train girls to be hair dressers, boys to be mechanics. Like we used to consider that to be the Youth Training program and now much more recognition about the importance of innovation and linking with real jobs and real opportunities and even by connecting youth to each other across the continent and what we are seeing come out of those connections, so across sector development, sectors, we are excited and in invigorated by the youth, the young population and engaging them in elections and making sure that they continue to have that voice as my colleague mentioned. Before coming to the bureau you gained some experience in the Public Health field having worked with the new Jersey Department of health. You undoubtedly have insight on the capabilities and challenges to local health infrastructures. Africa is facing many issues, we are seeing worldwide after the pandemic in the Health Sector workforce shortage, supply chain issues to do speak speak to that and some of the things that youve witnessed in some of those challenges . Absolutely. Again, weve already had the conversation around pepfar. I started usaid in 2004 at the beginning of ppfar at the beginning of us realizing the crisis of the hiv pandemic with covid i spent the four years in ghana so i experienced covid from ghanan perspective and revealed so much about the primary infrastructure. 90 of the health that we receive is primary health care and thats Maternal Health and thats child care and dealing with made diseases and what we are now recognizing after whats been revealed through the pandemic the importance of institutionalizing and integrating some of those lessons into the broader healthcare system. Where we send oxygen to support covid now being able to leverage the oxygen for other Pediatric Services just as weve done with hiv care, treatment and being able to leverage to strengthen the overall infrastructure, the covid vaccinations now being able to broaden that to be part of routine immunization programs in country. A lot of the work that african countries are doing now is using the pandemic to leverage it to strengthen their Overall Health institutions and then finally quality of care. And just making sure that the quality exists so its beyond the provision of supply chain but that theyre also receiving good quality of services. Yeah. So when i was last in africa, we were in liberia and one of one of the conversations we were having with not just looking at the Healthcare Infrastructure through the service and the facilities but also the barriers to accessing healthcare and so infrastructure like roads and bridges, you know, people were talking to us about the transporting of covid and by the time vaccines and by the time they got there the vaccines would expire because it would take i know that theres some countries where theres innovation happening with drones to help. Are those the kind of Development Projects that could be invested in or that we are investing in . Absolutely. And some of the private sector engagement has been exciting from that perspective. The use of digital technologies, the use of improving Transportation Systems for women in labor, for making sure that not only just commodities but making sure that services can reach the people for helping to strengthen the Community Healthcare networks and those kinds of things, a lot of the virtual care as people have phones and all of that innovation is coming to the floor right now and i think that weve learned a lot through the hiv and now the covid pandemic that we now have to translate to reach the most vulnerable and the in the most rural areas so that we are not centered in the urban centers but also making sure that we use technology and innovation to achieve that outreach. Well, thank you so much for your incredible insights, your work and i think people have been informed of a lot more than being about amazing work thats being done. I look forward to following up and partnering with you all. Thank you so much. [applause] please help me welcome. [cheers and applause] who is an author and writer whose work that you all probably know and love like i do. I have to say i almost fainted when my staff accepted the invitation. Shes a huge, huge fan of yours. I wanted to first start out by talking to you about some of the things that are incredible guests have talked about because the way i heard some of it was something that you have taken an issue with which is the single narrative, the single story that is told about africa that is oftensometimes not one that recognizes the diversity of africa and its countries or its people or its stories. Can you talk a little bit about your your work and your advocacy in trying to make sure people see africans in all of their magnitude . Well, first of all, everyone has said thank you for your leadership. I just want to sort of add to that and say thank you to your courage because [applause] i think symbols matter, youre a symbol and thats important. I think its important for us africans, its important for young black girls. Its important to see a black woman, a black african woman who stands her ground. So thank you. [applause] thank you, really. Its so lovely to be here because i feel like i am in class. I wanted to take notes. I have questions for everyone. So im not sure if im allowed to ask. One question i had was what happens to the country, ghana is apparently the edge of bankruptcy. What happens if a country just refuses to service their debt and instead sort of, you know, what happens . Do they get spanked . [laughter] really . Seriously . I was thinking, i think thats what all african countries should do . I think that means they cant take on more debt. I will get shoutout by the economic system. Thats a good question. Honestly. I was thinking about usaid and i have a personal story because my father studied in the u. S. At berkeley for ph. D on a usaid scholarship and while he was there they had my sister who is here with me, so she was born when my father was at berkeley and, you know, she came back to the u. S. And now shes a family physician so when you were talking about primary care, she just kept saying yes, yes, i wanted to say keep it quiet, keep it quiet. We all know Family Medicine is important but, you know, so being in nigerian and storywriter is what i always want today be and do and coming here to college, i just remembered being shocked at how, you know, how unfamiliar my world was to people and it just seemed to me strange. This is 1997 and i remember somebody asking me you listen to tribal . I was taken it back. You are consuming American Media and youre imagining that your world is familiar to your world as they to you. And then its not the case. We lose out when we lack at a continent to narrow singular lenses. I think we all collectively lose out. And for me its not to say that we have to tell only the positive stories because i think thats also thats much a lie as telling only the negative stories. I think this idea of having a whole the good, the bad, the middle, the gray. We need to see this continent as as what it is. A whole continent. Yeah. And how diverse it is and how i remember in undergrad that people would ask me about namidia. Im very pan african, politically pan african. I dont think im knowledgeable of every part of africa. Even the idea of africa, we i feel that we also need to when we talk about it realize how how diverse it is, you know, how different the needs are. Yeah, you said that you were in niger . Yeah. When were you in niger . In 2019. Am i allow today do a little rant about what the u. S. Has should be held responsible for . No, maybe i shouldnt. Go on. [laughter] that was going to be my next question. [laughter] no, i mean, the thing i i love about you is maybe that emotional Pan Africanism and i have it and i get accused of all kinds of things all of the time because there are a lot of things that are wrong in the continent of africa that is not all the fault of the people of the continent of africa. So here is your chance to round. We dont have enough time. Well, where should i start . I really love how you put it where theres a lot thats wrong with this continent but isnt the fault of the people in that continent. I like to say when i think about nigeria that we were not set up to succeed but the extent of our tail your is something that we have to take responsibility for but we also have to think about the premise. We were never settled to succeed. You look at the way that colonialism structured an entire continent. There was no way. Theres no way that you can lead the dictatorship which was colonialism was and become democratic. I never understood we are surprised that many of the governments that took over from colonial governments ended up just really not doing very well. They didnt have the best models, you know, and, i mean, for me i feel, for example, that when we talk about young people and so its really its both exciting and vaguely terrifying to think about 50 of the worlds youth being african and i think theres a lot of lip service paid to on the part of the u. S. To, you know, democracy and democratic values. I felt personally quite upset recently of whats happening in nigeria so we in nigeria had an election that was, i think, to any fairminded person was flawed. Its also an election that galvanized so many people. Im so proud of nigerias youth. I mean, they young people came out. [applause]. And that really bothered m. Now sometimes i wake up in the morning and im thinking has it happened. What i am saying is the fact that people respond positively which is the most undemocratic thing you can imagine. Not just talking but also walking. This idea the u. S. Is pushing isnt because they cared about, but they care about people should matter more. I also think the equal application of policy. One of my staffers win the election happened there was a statement saying it wasnt a safe and secure. That might be one of the only ones in the state department but i congratulated and then zimbabwe had their elections and the government said it was fair and safe. One of my Staff Members said isnt that funny because all the International Observers said the same things almost exactly but one the congratulate and the other we have a problem. Because of social media and access to information people didnt use to have, people can detect and i think it does create problems about what people see we are looking for and what we care about. Absolutely. Can i tell you a number of people are concerned the person that is said to have one is an american spy, works for the u. S. Government as a covert fashion. It might explain but the larger point to see the credible accusation of hypocrisy and its important that we think about human beings deserving of dignity is it impossible for you to deal with people and leave the dignity impact . Can you say no with respect . Its something i feel very strongly about and it had personal repercussions for me and my family. The top administrator and the university had ties and some person who probably woke up and had a fight with her boyfriend and then says to my mother you dont have ties youre going to become a liability for the American Government so what this kind of treating people in a condescending manner what it does is losing its goodwill and that means opening yourself and losing other. [applause] we have a lot of opinions about embassies we visit abroad and some of the changes that need to happen. You are a very lucky man. Theyve been leading an effort to try to shape the ways in which our embassies are functioning because it is supposed to be our face in these countries and we are not putting forth the best face or best foot forward i wanted to end by talking about the fact you are pushing for people to be a feminist and knowing when people think of the continent, they dont think of women being empowered or how incredible African Women are. Why has that been one of four causes . Thats a good question. I dont know. Its just always been. I like to say i was a feminist before which is to say as a child i was very aware of the way the world treated women and men differently. I said it probably wont go well, but it did. Often people talk about culture as a selective remembering of culture. Right now theres so many women across the continent who are often carrying their families but pretending they are not. The women that Pay School Fees and rent and food but then they lie. Even that is a problem. This idea that we have to sort of protection of the male ego would be the priority for women its also bad for men because we are kind of insulting men saying they are not Strong Enough to take the truth. I find in nigeria in particular many consider it a fierce wonderful feminist. The woman who breeds my hair, shes strong, shes starting her own shop, she has plans. I keep thinking how wouldnt she survive in a country that made it so difficult for her. If she had light, if the roads were not bad. And its not fair to think that women are somehow better because they are women because obviously we realize women are no angels. [laughter] but my point is it so important to recognize that so many cultures in africa find ways to diminish. Sometimes women buy into them and now theres this selflimiting thing where you are telling yourself that you can only go so far because that is what the world is telling you. It means the stories matter. What we sort of put out into the world matters. We can change laws and they are changing but i think cultural ideas are the most important. I have a young woman who was at one of my workshops and her father died. In her part of the land traditionally women do not inherit. The law had been changed but she said she didnt inherit anything in her mother said your brother will give you something because her brother inherited. I was so struck by that because you can talk about these things sort of in theoretical terms but then you need to somebody that is experiencing it and law has changed. There are different ways we can culturally make change pushback. Its important for me because i love where it comes from. I would come back exactly as i am with a scheme but at the same time i want it to be better. I was thinking about my own upbringing if you were to share the stories. My grandfather and father, i wouldnt be who i am today. They were incredible in fighting a to say no, in this house we have one set of rules. If she is to clean, youre going to clean. If you go to school we were expected to achieve the same grades. I was struck that when i left my house everybody else wasnt being raised that way. I vividly remember going to school in the boys being asked to sit her alyssa nay for me and me being like i am ready. Why do i have to wait . The teacher was coming to complain that i somehow thought i should be going first and who are you to remember that she is a girl. None of your business. I think the more that we are able to share the stories, the more we recognize that its not just the law that needs to be changed, but its the minds and hearts that also need to be changed. There are actual examples people can utilize and they should be share finding. We need more men like that. When i say we should be feminists, thats why because women and men should be leave in the full humanity. I am the way i am as well because i support my parents. My father was the most wonderful human being who loves his children equally and treated us as human beings. He didnt say youre a girl, therefore you should. Look at you. I dont know how many people have gotten to see your ted talks, but i wanted to end with this. I went to college in north dakota. Its basically you dont get to see a lot of africans i remember mentioning i was from somalia and they were like what did it feel like when you first wore shoes. I got asked did we play with monkeys. We share a lot of those tidbits. What is the wildest thing somebody asked you that you didnt expect when you arrived in the United States but to this day makes you laugh . People are wild. What did you respond with when they asked . I said i fell four times, it was three sizes bigger than i was supposed to get. The person was like really . No, i grew up with wealth before i became a refugee. I had shoes. A lot of people in africa have shoes. You know what i think it was, it was someone saying i remember in a class some months that i think its so cool how africans drink fresh blood. [laughter] she was very admiring of the african practice of drinking fresh blood. And i said i would taste some of someone showed me where she was just sharing what she knew about africans. I think maybe there was something about trees because i then remember saying my father had the biggest tree and then my mother and we would a swing from tree to tree. My father had at the grand tree and i said youve seen tarzan, thats how we would swing. [laughter] but the more i thought about it, its funny but also this a kind of just sad shock. Who has done this to you. I remember one of your responses to these questions. I watched american cycle. I could be Walking Around thinking all americans are serial killers. [laughter] he said to me im so sorry. I said i just read the book called american psycho and im sorry all of you just go around murdering people. [laughter] kind of whats funny but also made me think the goodness, so little is known and of the little that is known is very skewed. We will change that one story at a time. Thank you so much for joining us today. And thats it for us. Thank you so much for being here. [inaudible conversations]committ over two hours