moment on the people. as i said, when i spoke yesterday at the african civil society meeting, the people of africa, and their leaders are ag to tackle the establishment of sound political and economic institutions, the creation of wealth that reaches beyond the elite, to provide people with economic opportunity throughout the continent, including women and girls, forging a peace in some countries still torn apart, protection of the health of your citizens. you all know the great talent that exists in africa, but turning that talent even in a greater capability requires significant commitment and significant investment. but if africa's governance and institutions can put its people in a position commensurate with

their possibilities, the sky's the limit. it is limitless. there is no reason the nation of africa cannot and should not join the ranks of the world's most prosperous nations in the near-term, in the decades ahead. there is simply no reason. as we look to the future to try to help realize that vision, the question is no longer, when i got here as a young man on the senate foreign relations committee, the question was always what can we do for africa? that is no longer the question. it is what can we do with africa. not what can we do for africa. what can we do together? and i mean that. and the president means it as well. there is a significant opportunity for the united states and africa to do more that benefit both of our communities. this is america's economic

self-interest. billion in u.s. exports to quarterlready support a of a million american jobs here in the united dates. -- states. african consumers are spending $1.3 trillion, and that is projected to double by the year 2030. time, the african growth and opportunity act has a lot more than 6400 african products to reach american customers duty-free, supporting african jobs and industries ranging from vehicles to vegetables. nonoil exports from sub-saharan africa to the united states have almost quadrupled. i see no reason why -- and this is not hyperbole -- why trade

and investments to the united states and africa should not double or triple or even quadruple in the decades ahead. but to get there in each of us has a whole lot of work to do and no one knows that better than the people and the heads of state in this audience. to start, american businesses have to show up. my dad used to say to me as a young man, half of winning is just showing up. american businesses have to show up, and they are, and they are doing it in greater and greater numbers, to compete alongside india and chinese and european countries for african trade and investment. it is sort of stand into our dna, we like to compete. we welcome the competition. but because it is not just how much we trade and invest that matters, it is how we do it. we can always do better but the united states is proud of the

extent to which our investment in africa goes hand-in-hand with our efforts to hire and train locals. to fox -- foster economic development and not just extract what's in the ground, to protect human rights, labor rights, and to protect the environment, to create new opportunities for women and girls. a famous columnist here in the u.s. says women are half the sky . they are half the sky. and to win contracts and friends on the merits, not to kick backs and bribes. this can be hard, when others cut corners, but we believe it's absolutely worth it. not only to help growth, but also to ingrain a set of rules of the road that are fair and .ecent to all competitors because the ties that we are building our ties that have to last. the rules are advancing and they

will benefit us all and the prosperity we are promoting is prosperity we can sustain together if we do it correctly at the front end. the united states government has a great deal of work to do as well to help realize the full promise of this moment, and you will hear about that from many other u.s. officials, particularly one that will be following me in an hour and a half or so, who i just left, the president of the united states. we are working with congress to renew before it expires next year. we are working to connect more african companies with american businesses. the united states is also providing more direct support to make trade and investment easier. our x port-import ban financed a record $1.7 billion in exports to africa over the past 10 years. we should do more.

the overseas private investment corporation has financed nearly $3 billion in projects across africa under president obama, and every dollar invested as sparked on average $2.66 in additional private sector investment. u.s. trade and development agency has funded over 100 context expected to generate $1 billion in u.s. exports while building up the infrastructure of sub-saharan africa. in each of these areas, president obama will announce shortly significant new initiatives. we are also focused on energy. this audience, two thirds of africa is still regularly going without electricity. if we can help you power africa, that will empower the people of africa to grow their economies.

that is why, under president obama's leadership, as he will discuss later today, the united states is helping to mobilize private investment and offer --ancing to help americans excuse me, to help africans provide for themselves clean and affordable and abundant electricity, which is badly needed. today, the united states will sign a $500 millennium challenge corporation contract to strengthen its energy sector. example of you an what this looks like in practice. last week, the u.s. export import bank authorized a loan guarantee to support long-term financing, the power plant on the ivory coast. the country is just emerging from a civil war, commercial banks were not ready to offer long-term financing, but america

stepped up to fill in the gap by guaranteeing the loan for the west african development bank. theo doing, we are helping upgrades at that facility, to increase its out of it by nearly 50%. manufacturing steam turbines for export are from schenectady, new york, and bangor, maine. this is one project that is expected to increase the overall -- this one project will increase the supply of electricity in the ivory coast by 15% increase in one of the most efficient plants in western africa. as much as we hope to publish in partnership with you, we also know that nothing is more consequential to the future of africa than the steps that the nations take to empower your people to make the most of their talents. of course, to state the obvious, no two countries are the same.

no two countries will do it the same way, but there are certain common ingredients to success in the 21st century that have become self-evident. the need for greater economic integration, a court system that fairly, as disputes commitment to invest in all of the societies people and respect their rights because countries that respect citizens equal rights, no matter their religion or who they look like, tend to be the most attractive to attract international talent and investment. it is good business. it is simply good business. playingat level the field for private companies, it's good business. regulations that make it easier to start businesses and today there is genuine success, a

number of stores that can be pointed to. business startup costs in africa kept falling nearly 70%. start up costs have fallen 70% since 2007. the time to start new business has been cut in half. there areurprise then 400,000 new companies worldwide registered last year to do business in africa. that's a big deal. [applause] ranked therld bank 50 most improved countries with respect to efficient is this regulations, 20 of them were in africa, including the most improved environment in the world, rwanda. we all know there is a great deal more work to do but we know the way to get it done. it is hard but we know the path.

in the unforgiving daylight of a global economy, investment can and will go elsewhere when it sees excessive regulation, a broken judiciary, or widespread corruption. there is a reason why, mr. mayor, madam secretary, after , onceof the united states again the destination of all the companies in the world, considered the best environment in the world to invest. we have a court system that works. corruption is the minimus. energy costs, etc.. i think what we underestimate the most, and the leaders here know it, is corruption is a cancer. wrong,ot just ethically it is economically crippling. , illiciteasures

financial flows out of africa in recent decades, including corruption, measured in the hundreds of billions of dollars. some studies have estimated over a trillion dollars. corruption is a global problem, not an africa problem. it is present everywhere, from the ukraine to east asia, even here in the united states, and we have to take it on together. that is why president obama help to launch the open government ownership, where eight african nations, the u.s., and 55 other nations act together on a common commitment to more open transparent and accountable institutions. doing itsy america is part to ensure our legal and financial systems cannot be exploited to launder the proceeds of corruption and theft from africa. this includes new proposals from president obama to prevent the use of anonymous u.s.-registered

shell companies. that is why we joined 23 african countries in the extractive industries transparency initiative. there is a lot there. africa's natural wealth should not be stolen and repatriated under the cover of darkness. it should enrich africa's people under the rule of law. i am known as the white house optimist. i feel very good about that because when they say that, it implies i am the new guy, but i have not been around a long while. i have been around longer than all of them, but i am more optimistic today than when i was elected as a 29-year-old kid date senator. because the promise and potential around the world and particularly in africa, is immense.

and africa's economic future is profound. i am optimistic about my own country. you know, i have traveled about a million miles becoming vice president and i do not think there is a major leader in the world that i have not met over the last 30 years. i am reminded by some world leaders by what i have told them in the past, and i say again, it is never a good bet to bet against america. america is betting on africa. idea, the reality are just tantalizing. the possibilities are immense. we are betting on each other. africa on america, america on

africa. what we can accomplish together for the enormous benefit of our people. i will end, if you will forgive me, by quoting one of my favorite poets. john kerry, who you will hear from next, say that my colleagues always kid me because irish poets because i think i'm irish. that's not the reason. i do because they are the best poets in the world. [laughter] favorite contemporary poets who just passed away, shame is heaney, once wrote in a poland called "the cure of troy." says do notstory hope on this side of the grave, but then, once in a lifetime,

that tidal wave of justice rises rhyme."hope and history we have a chance, you have a chance. you have a chance in africa, to make hope and history rhyme in a way that has never occurred before. we want to be your partners, we want to compete for your business, compete for your hearts and interests, but we want to see you succeed. because when you succeed, the entire world succeeds. thank you for giving me the time. i look forward to meeting all of you later. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, please welcome secretary of state of the united states, the honorable john kerry.

[applause] >> good afternoon, everybody. a chance to say a few words to a number of use at a few different events in the ,ourse of yesterday and today but i appreciate the chance to be part of the business room -- forum. i want to thank the vice president, who has been a friend of mine for 40 years now, 29 in the senate, and i thank him for his contribution of conscious and commitment to africa that he has made for as long as he has been in public life. in the senate, we worked hand-in-hand on door for, south sudan, and as the vice president said, he has traveled far and wide but ghanaally to the areas of and south africa to build

transparent and accountable institutions and to lift millions out of poverty. i also want to especially thank michael bloomberg. michael's contribution to africa commons not just in the form of this summit, but through his latest commitment of $10 million that he made this february 2 african countries to build media capacity with a business focus and to promote reliability in reporting, educational opportunities, and the transparencies that the vice president just talked about that markets need in order to give capital confidence and in order to grow. finally, i want to thank penny pritzker, my partner, fellow member of the president cabinet, but a terrific partner in our endeavors to make sure people understand in this globalized world, in this transformative

,ociety we are living in today that economics are not of course from foreign policy. it is foreign policy and foreign policy is economic policy. hand-in-handly go and we are working closely to marry the efforts of the commerce and state department in order to assist companies and work for american business, but also to work for the countries that we will represent in terms of their interest and their vision and aspirations. penny, as you know, spent 30 years building a business empire, literally. that thestands investments in africa are a two way street. when we help nation stand on their own two feet, we create opportunity elsewhere in the world and everybody benefits as a result of that. my singular responsibility and

privilege was to represent the united states of america in our diplomacy. i get to wear the hat of the top diplomat of the state department , and it is a privilege, but i want to say something to you today that is not just from the business perspective, but which comes from the wearing of that hat, which is a reflection of the people that i see and the countries i visit, the leaders that i talk with, the aspirations that i hear first-handand the opportunity i get to sink my teeth into other people's and see thetory, world as they see it, and see even america as they see it. everyone here understands that we are living in a very different world from two years

ago, 5, 10 years ago, certainly from the world that emerged at the fall of the berlin wall and the end of the cold war. forces have been released everywhere that have changed everything because of their own ideology in many cases, or in some cases, just outlook on the world, but also because of the things have changed. a number of young diplomats in the state department not long ago and one of them recently from college and the foreign service school, and this new world of technology, made a very profound observation to me which has had an impact on my thinking about power and how it works. he said a world where power used to be defined exclusively in hierarchies is now a world where .ower is defined in networks

and in much of africa and across ed world, it is evidence, the number of people that have cell phones in africa today. everybody shares everything with everybody all the time. and the fact is, that changes politics. it changes the cross currents of decision-making. it changes how political leaders can or cannot build consensus in order to try to make decisions and bring their people along with them as they make those decisions. it also profoundly changes business, something that bloomberg has understood, way ahead of the curve, which is why they have been so successful. it changes hopes and dreams and aspirations and every political leader and every business need to be tuned into that reality, no matter how hard some powerful

leader of a country might desire . no one can put this genie back in the bottle and change what is happening. that, we face a very common challenge, all of us together. some 700, there are million people under the age of 30. a staggering youth bulge, in any time of the planet. , withct is, most of them their increasing awareness of the world that we live in, are desperate for opportunity, yes, but also for dignity and respect . on the other side, we all know ,oo well there are extremists too many radical religious

extremist, who distort theology, andgion, and even ideology, they are prepared to seduce these young people in a very calculated and disciplined way, what is no more than a dead end. we have seen the instabilities that this creates. what is important is that none -- they dotremists not offer an education that helps a young person gain a skill, they do not help anyone compete, they do not have one idea about a health system, do not build infrastructure, they do not tell you how to build a nation, and they do not talk about how they will provide jobs or a vision for the future. they are stuck in the past. their challenge is modernity. and because of it, it is our challenge, too.

so there is something else about those extremists, and it reflects a little bit on what the vice president just said. it is not just a lack of jobs and opportunity that give them their opening and recruitment tools. they are just as content to see corruption and oligarchy and car talk or see and resource -- exploitation, fill the vacuum. because it may look like economic growth on paper, but that is another way that they can seize on the frustration and exploit the sense of a lack of thattunity and violation is the anger of so many people fruit vendoroung in tunisia ignited so much of what followed. there is another target they can turn to. they are the swing voters in the struggle against extremism.

and so my friends, that is our challenge. it is not just to come here and do business. that is important, obviously, the economic key of the future, and we have to do business to provide the jobs and gills and tax base to do what we want to do. but we have to come together with a unified vision and a purpose so that we can present this growing number of young people in africa and across the world with a viable alternative. quality education with skills for the modern world and with jobs that allow them to build a life and have a family and have confidence in their countries. all of us together have the greatest ability of any people on the planet to be able to provide this opportunity. and it is not just economics that creates a sustainable growth and shared prosperity. it is also this larger vision of what life is about and why there

is a greater purpose than just living to work. you have to work to live and there has to be a living there that is worth it. we know beyond any doubt that and this is a polite summary of and experience here in america -- where we do not profess to have all the answers, nor would we suggest that ours is the only track, but one thing we have learned is that, in the places where people are the not just to develop an idea, but to debate different ideas, to have not just a job but a promise of innovation,ship and to be able to transform the best ideas into reality and into a business and future, those are the societies that absolutely are the most successful and the most stable on our planet. and the success is not a mystery.

it is not something that is hard to achieve if you make the right choices. it is possible for all of africa. chooset is how one can to have in africa not defined any longer, as it has not been for the past 15 years, as opposed to this transformation, defined by conflict. less and less. but it becomes an africa defined capacity, dignity, respect, and opportunity. opportunity is something that both boko haram and al-shabaab and many other groups will never ever provide. so when the united states is home to some of the most innovative and well known and respected companies in the world, and when africa is already home to some of the fastest-growing economies in the world and new leadership anxious to grab the future, we have to do more together. we have to partner, which is a

theme of this conference, to invest in next-generation, to create good jobs for young africans, to build a middle-class and provide families with clean power and clean water, to build society where an open exchange of ideas and information are the defining hallmark. business is not just is this for the sake of business. all of you know that. it is for providing the foundation for people to be able to live their lives with that opportunity, dignity, and respect. i do not have to remind anyone here that nelson mandela, one of the greatest leaders the world has seen of all time, did not spend 27 years in jail so that he can get out and run a business, with no disrespect to anyone here. he did it so that people of his country would have an

opportunity to live up to an ideal. he did it for rights, human rights, that are the foundation of any civilized society. and those rights across the continent are best given meaning in strong countries with strong economies where prosperity is shared by a strong middle class. so i close by saying there is absolutely no question in my mind, from the excitement we felt yesterday at the first meeting, to the energy we felt in all of your presence here and in the meetings and discussions this is notl of just possible, it is the future. but we have to make the right choices about skills and education and opportunities, and that will define the u.s.-africa partnership. if we work together, if everybody gets this right, this meeting in this moment, and the days ahead, can literally become a pivotal, defining moment for

our future history and the world. thank you all very much. [applause] >> please welcome to the stage the president of the republic of , the president of the , thelic of senegal president of the republic of south africa. the president of the republic of tunisia. the president of the united republic of tanzania. moderator, coanchor of cbs this morning and executive editor, charlie rose. [applause]

>> thank you very much. in the days of the summit that it is historic, you heard the vice president and the secretary of state talk about its significance, that it can change things, that it is a summit that is historic. you have also heard that this is africa's moment, that this 21st century is africa's century. you know a lot of people not just in the u.s. are paying attention, but african leaders are here. as we hear from people in the west who want to talk about africa's moment and africa's potential, and africa as a partner, what we hope to hear ,his afternoon is from africans who lead their countries in difficult times, talk about the economy, security, education, talk about infrastructure, governance, but also talk about their own vision that's how they

see africa. and i want to start with a question this afternoon as how they see where africa is, what they expect, what they need, and what they would like to see done. so i will begin and we will go down the row, because they do not speak with the same voice, obviously. they have different issues in different problems, but we are talking about a continent. i want to hear from them in terms of the significance of this conference and what you expect, what you need, and how you see what you have been hearing here. would you reflect on that for me? well, this conference is significant in the sense that one, it is the first of its kind

, the first ever we have a u.s.-africa summit bringing all african leaders together, meeting the u.s. leadership. u.s. has, the relations with all the countries gathered here, political, diplomatic, we received development assistance from them , but a meeting that brings together the u.s. government and the u.s. private sector, this is something unique. and we have a lot of expectations because we want to shouldur relationship not only be between donor and recipient, but we want to move to the next level now of investment and trade. my colleagues can complement,

many of us have been visiting the united eight, doing roadshows -- states, doing roadshows in many towns, investment forums, talking to u.s. businessman, and we have not been as successful. the presidentime, of the united states, vice president, secretary of state, secretary of commerce, encouraging the u.s. business community to take africa seriously, i think this time we will make it. [applause] >> of coarse, i think african states are extremely interested in promoting a relationship with the united states, with the american business community, of coarse.

if we want to solve some of our social and economic problem's, we badly need the support of the united states and the american business community. but i must say, we also have to learn from history. this is an occasion to learn from history. let me try to imagine the problem from the present perspective of an african woman, the young, the african citizens. for them, it is very important, the figures are better, there is an improvement between the united states and africa, but what is most important for the citizens is to improve the quality of their lives. to get better services. education and so forth. know, having an important business community

does not mean automatically that their life will improve. for instance, we can see in ,frica, in many other countries widening the gap between rich and poor, more pollution and so forth. so we have to keep this in mind we are improving the business climate, the economic figures and so forth. that is not enough for the african citizens. perhapsthe main lesson to learn from history and experiences of other countries. social,to link development, political development, and economic involvement. otherwise, we will make the same errors that were made. then, of course, if we improve the fate of 100 million likee, it's important,

what has happened in china for instance. knowesson that we have to is we have to link social with economic come a which means social justice, political development means democracy and human rights, fighting against corruption, and then economic development. if we do not link those three factors, what we are going to have is another situation leading to another crisis leading to another crisis over and over. [applause] thank you very much for the opportunity. , we believe this coming together is going to help enhance the relations between the united states and africa.

it will certainly consolidate .hat is there i think this is an opportunity leaders, toafrican interact personally with the government, and secondly, with the business community in the united dates -- states. that is very important. i also think it came at the right time when africa is, in been organizing itself better before dachshund and then better before in terms of how it ns looking at itself -- tha better before.

it is in a better position. but also, it came at an opportune moment when, as you our goal has been very in our relationship one year has elapsed. we have an opportunity to deal with those issues and to put our views to the united states where we have the extension of a goal so that we can have a better kind of relationship. we have now and experience that we can discuss better as to what we need to do to better twoolidate our relations as

. it is, i think, an opportunity that came at an opportune time. i am sure, when we end, we will be better placed to deal with our relations. [applause] thank you very much. i will speak in french. [speaking in french] seriously like very to tell you how much i appreciate the initiative of president obama to call for this meeting between africa and the united dates. it is an historic opportunity which allows us to confirm the change of the effective toward a , and africarica

that used to need aid. i will give you an example. in magazine "the economist" may 2000 the headline was a picture of a young guy with a kalashnikov, and it said africa at war. it said the hopeless continent. 10 years later, the same title about a growth in africa and it said a lion in a cage, and the title lion."caging the so this image, within 10 years, shows you how africa has changed. must modify this perception here.

the business community of the united states would feel more confident in order to work with the african private sector. first of all, in africa, africa is a huge continent. there is room for everybody. americans, europeans, chinese, everybody has their place in africa. a continent of over 30 million square kilometers. everything has to be made, roads, railways. there is opportunity for africa and the rest of the world. asica must no longer be seen a land of humanitarian emergency or diseases, for instance. even though right now we have this terrible academic -- epidemic of ebola, but the world must be optimistic toward africa. africa is opportunity.

this is the perception we wanted to share with you, a land of opportunity where growth could be shared. earlier on i was following the speech made by vice president biden. he said the american investment on the continent creates employment in the u.s., it benefits american growth. that is what he said. it is within this win-win partnership that we africans have come to meet our american we were from which separated for so long, but we will talk about that later, the separation concept, the continent, i mean. we are happy to be here in order to engage especially with the american private sector and talk about the perspective of a very promising continent that is africa today. thank you. [applause]

>> just like my colleagues here on the panel, i want to start by and the president obama administration of the united for providing the opportunity for this summit which brings together the united states and africa to forge the that is veryership essential and crucial to development, especially in .frica, but also globally let me refer to some of the ,oints made by some people panels.

people are talking about partnering globally and locally, global and local together, as the best way of creating a partnership. i want to add that people are also talking about the growth rates that have been realized by the continent of africa. even when there are known problems that we have talked about, for example, a lack of and someone power, was saying, imagine what would happen in terms of these growth rates across africa if there was no shortage of power. you could talk about many other things.

so from this partnership, i think, many things that exist in business, trading, ,he benefits that come with us these into being filled, just imagine what will be unleashed in terms of growth as well as development. , there has to be grounds on which growth can development.o so each of the members in the partnership have responsibilities and roles to play. on our side, we still have the

.ole of providing for business investing continue and creating a rule of law. we have to continue providing education to our people and the skills. many things including health, operations. , in need good health addition to education, skills. this growth will continue for , theyears ahead. so for me importance of this summit, is very well captured in what we can do together and the possibilities that can be provided by the united dates of america,- states of orther it is finance

different opportunities that would be availed in this for thehip to africa continued growth and development of our people, as well as the good returns and satisfaction of our american partners, in terms of companies, as well as the political establishment that is also behind the creation of this establishment. -- partnership. so this is where we stand. [applause] we want to talk about a store that was referenced on the front pages of newspapers around the world, the ebola crisis. there is some concern being expressed loudly of a tipping point. tell me what your fears are about the ebola virus.

two heads of states are not hear from sierra leone and liberia because they are on the frontlines of trying to deal with that in their own countries. what are your fears, what can be done, what kind of cooperation is taking place within africa and other nations around the world? >> of course, right now the .pidemic is in west africa tanzania is in east africa. [laughter] [applause] not only that. [laughter] outbreak was also an .n the condo -- congo

there was another outbreak last year in uganda which borders tanzania. concerned, ande we have also put in place mechanisms of possible response. labsnk we have established to that effect, just in case there is a report of a possible infectedbreak or ebola person. we do the evaluation and then analysis and then confirm if it is there. so we are taking more precautions, just in case, as you rightly said, people travel. not prevented from liberia, west africa, coming to tanzania. i just in case it spreads,

can assure you, we have taken precautionary measures in terms of building capacities for confirmation of a just in case it is suspicious, there has been an ebola case. >> i would like to comment not on the ebola case, but what i consider the main problem. africaain, it if we want and america, if we want someday for people to refer to the african tigers and so forth, the most important thing for us as leaders and heads of states is to give all the opportunity to the business community to work in good, safe conditions. this is why we have to promote independent judiciary's. this is why we have to come back and fight against corruption. improvewhy we have to

also the democratic system and so forth. i do believe this is absolutely .ecessary for the business but i would also like to say, theyoreign investors, should help the democratic states by investing because this would be a message to all the other countries, saying, we are going to invest. of course we are interested in making money as soon as possible, but that is not all the problem. in a country where we have good governance, we can make honey. -- money. by sending this message everywhere that we have good governance, is for the business community, something very important, and not only as important as making money very quickly. helpmessage could also african countries to improve the

situation as it could improve the situation of the population. once again, i must stress, we do not need development which is not useful for the population. we do not want to widen the gap between the rich and poor. this will lead to more instability and aggression and civil war. we need to give services to the population. when you do have services and education, jobs and so forth. once again, our responsibility as heads of states is to improve the political and social environment. it is also the responsibility of the business community to go where there is a state of law, democracy, and so forth. of course, they will invest in social and developmental economies, but also in these democracies. once again, all the three factors are linked. >> i want to come back to ebola in a second, but let's stay with

your point. it is this idea that an investment in a country is a vote of confidence in a country, confidence in governance, confidence in rule of law, and a confidence in the absence of .orruption is there, in any of your judgment, a sense that there is misconception about africa, in terms of specific countries with respect to that? is there something that you think the business community and the private sector may have a misconception about or are badly informed? >> [inaudible] [speaking french]

[translated] charlie, i think you are right. there is a perception and a reality. the perception of the business world, the global and political world on african democracy, on good governance, is the wrong perception because what you see twohe media in one or countries is not what is going on on the rest of the continent. countriesafrica is 54 in full evolution. they are all trying on a day-to-day basis to build a long-lasting democracy, reorganizing transparency, elections. that is the rule in africa today. there are exceptions. this should not be the image that you have of africa. toeep reading -- pleading

say the negative vision that you have because in this country or another there is a problem, it is an unfair vision of africa. [applause] the global dynamic in africa is democracy. democracy is installing itself. there are exceptions, that can happen. but africa is a continent where the majority of countries has had its independence not quite 20 years ago. look at the largest of our countries, south africa. take all the countries of the region. can you, 63. how long has africa been free? 63?enya, in less than two years, you want africa to be at the same level as france or the united dates?

democratic, no more or less than an american or european, but i fully understand the history of each country, the history of each nation. let's be fair towards these people in africa, toward these african countries, which are trying to have a democratic process. today, you have the rule of law in africa. you have rest freedom in africa. press freedom in africa. you have the freedom to create the business. yes you have corruption but there is corruption everywhere else. our will is to fight corruption strongly. in our decision-making places, look at west africa. common laws on budgetary transparency. law, in senegal, we have a in order to make it compulsory

for all of the government agencies -- ministers, public officers, anyone dealing with a budget -- now must make a statement of his own wealth. we have a national office fight against corruption. we are trying to put in place theruments that can follow evolution of economic growth in our country, so you have to be optimistic on africa. you have to start the fight for development. and i call upon the american businessmen to come to africa. there is no risk in africa, no more than anywhere else, other continents. investment will be much higher. now, the ebola virus. let me say how big my solidarity is with the victims. of sierrat a neighbor

leone. euere in the crucible, the of the -- eye of the cyclone, but i will tell international is not an african disease. virus as a this threat against humanity. it is a threat against humanity there are continental flights, flights to the u.s. and europe, so you have a world crisis, global crisis. world, scientists in the all the researchers have to work on that in order to win, just like we did it for the plague, like eight is being vanquished.

it is the solidarity of the international community that we are requesting to support the victims. >> let me compliment what my brother just said. but in a different way. i think even opportunities like this one, provided by the opportunity of this summit, we our to keep building capacities and strengthening our institutions to avoid over that has been there for too long. you avoid that by building capacities, cooperation,

, so that we are able to own up to our mistakes and own up to our solutions and contribute to solutions. we can't even tell our stories. you find we depend on others to tell our stories. that's how socialism has come about. i think as time goes with africa, in terms of building this consensus, this working us so thathis owning we cooperate with others rather ,han being dependent on them

that is how we should leverage this partnership and address this particular program. >> thank you very much indeed. first, i would like to agree with my brother. ebola is a disease that is affecting humanity. rather than just look at it as .n african problem first is the idea that africa is organizing itself. nations continental air working together. that is why we are confident around we'ree working to address the problem of ebola. but i must also say there is an that affectshing way,a in a particular

particularly in perception. that is corruption. that is a problem you have. africa as of now is organized. we discussed many of these --ues together in the a you in the african union. we share everything together. .e take common resolutions we say let's deal with the challenge that faces us today. earlier i mentioned, as an , the agreement. there is no debate about it. there are things that are not reported about the continent. have a peer review mechanism.

nobody is talking about this globally. whereique instrument countries in the continent subject themselves to their peers to review them, look at them. and theirt reports .iscussed in the au forum there is no such instrument that exist globally. there is in africa. nobody reports about it. i think it's important for people to look at africa and see that africa is changing. things coming out of africa in terms of working together, in terms of ,nderstanding our problems

terms of owning up to what in the past have been mistakes. i think we have a chance to better ourselves. this is why we appreciate this opportunity, because we are in a position to tell our own stories . , i spoke to the national press club. invent -- an event i was invited to. africa has changed.

african economies are performing better today. six of the 10 fastest-growing economies are in africa. been --2011-20 whew 2015, it is projected that seven of the fastest-growing economies will be in africa. why are we there? because of the pursuit of sound economic policies. also the pursuit of sound political policies. democracy has taken root. is enshrined. there is a stronger commitment now to fight vice in society,

.orruption, drug abuse there is more respect for human rights. there are a few hotspots. when you look at the conflict africa, they don't compare to the good stories. unfortunately, the good stories are not being told. please, tell the other stories. i will give the same example. ebola. is whole african continent being perceived as if everybody everywhere is suffering from ebola. >> i don't think that's true. i think there is some concern about -- >> it's the perception.

when is africa going to get out ifthis of being perceived there is a problem in one country -- africa is a continent. there are 54 countries. they are different in terms of , in terms of -- until we get to a point where africa will be seen as 54 countries, we will not progress. question of security. there is some concern about .ecurity we read highly publicized stories about boko haram and 200 children. we know about the absence of respect for boundaries.

what do you want to say to the audience here? >> africa is more secure today than it was many years ago. it is a nation with problem areas. somalia, which had a huge conflict, but now the situation is better. al-shabaab has not been eliminated. from time to time there is a struggle. we have had a problem with the food. it is under much better control now than it was in the past.

we have some conflict areas. we still have huge problems in central africa. we still have huge problems in central sudan. we have a terrible situation in sudan. we have a terrible situation in the northern part of molly. mali. butca is much more secure we're still facing an important challenge, an matter of security. we have the problems of libya and the countries around libya. we have to face the problems and we have to work together.

we have to be able to control it and we are going to control it to give the business community more security and stability. >> i wanted to say that we reached a stage in africa where count the problematic areas. spring affected the area. this asdiscussed leaders. we have countries that have volunteered an instrument. we have taken rentable of

african problems and african solutions. that, now, on the asus of taking a decision upon ourselves. it's an important thing that the world should know. >> thank you. on behalf of everyone in the audience, i appreciate your enthusiasm. thepecially appreciate summit we hear on africa and african leaders. we thank each of you.

>> as a bigger continent, we must be given more time to explain ourselves. >> ladies and gentlemen, please remain in your seats for a short -- >> president obama will be addressing the u.s.-africa business forum in just a few moments. he will close today's session with comments. he is expected to announce $14 billion in business investments in the conch -- in the continent of africa. he is also hosting a dinner at the white house tonight for the attending the africa conference.

[captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2014] >> former alaska governor sarah palin headlines this year's western conservative summit in denver. she called on congress to impeach the president. here is a short look at a portion of her comments.

[no audio] >> again, sarah palin headlines this year's western conservative summit in denver. she called on congress to impeach the president. here is a look at those

comments. >> these days you hear politicians denouncing barack obama and saying he is a lot less, imperial president. he refuses to enforce laws he doesn't like. , but theue question is, hey, politicians, what are you going to do about it. let's call their bluff. i'm calling their bluff because we need a little less talk and a lot more action. there is only one remedy for a president who commits high crimes and misdemeanors and it is impeachment. >> you can see sarah palin's entire speech to the western conservative summit tonight at 8:00 p.m. eastern. by annual event hosted

colorado christian university. again, we are waiting for president obama. he will be closing today's session at the africa business forum. he is expected to announce $14 billion by u.s. businesses in commitments to invest in a continent. in the meantime, from earlier today at the same summit, we heard remarks from former new york city mayor michael bloomberg and commerce secretary penny pritzker. >> good morning, everyone. thank you for joining all of us. i want to especially thank president obama and commerce secretary penny pritzker for teaming up with bloomberg philanthropy to host this grand groundbreaking--

event. this gathering really does represent a new approach to economic development in africa and a new moment in african relations. [inaudible] our relationship must even all that and mature, and that is the purpose of this for him, to recast our relationship as a full, equal and advanced economic ownership, a muchership that holds as promise for african countries as it does for america. we have people in this room to make that partnership a success. to start the morning, i would

like to invite all of you to take a few seconds to introduce yourself to the person next to you or someone you have not met yet. we could go on with this. this is doing exactly what we want to do. as we all know -- as we all know, whether it is in our or ouror our businesses countries, relationships are

what matters, and that is the point of gathering here today, to show our mutual respect for one another -- >> we leave this recorded portion of the event to take you back live to the president's remarks. >> mayor bloomberg, thank you, not only for the kind introduction, but to bloomberg philanthropy's as our cohost, and for the great work you are doing across africa to help create jobs and encourage entrepreneurship, especially for women. michael, for your leadership. andnt to thank our cohost tireless commerce secretary, penny pritzker. i want to welcome all of our partners who are joining us across africa.

let me welcome the delegations from sierra leone, liberia and new guinea with whom we are working so diligently to control the ebola outbreak. i also want to welcome the chairperson of the african union commission, the president of the african development fund and the president of the world bank. please give them all around of a plot us. to acknowledge members of congress who are here and such great champions of andca's engagement america's engagement with africa. there is broad bipartisan agreement that a secure, prosperous and self-reliant africa is in the best interests of the united states. host of all, i want to thank all of you, the business leaders,

entrepreneurs and people from the united states and africa who are creating jobs and opportunities every single day. want to acknowledge leaders from my administration like your partners. including usaid administrator millenniald our new challenge corporation leader, dana hyde. export-importhe bank, director of the u.s. trade thedevelopment agency, and president and ceo of opec. here as part of the u.s. africa leaders summit, the largest gathering any american president has ever hosted with african heads of state. ae summit reflects perspective that has guided my approach as president.

as africa continues to face enormous challenges and to many conflict,endure poverty, hunger, disease, we cannot lose sight of the new africa that is emerging. we all know what makes africa such an extraordinary opportunity. it is one of the fastest-growing economies of the world with a growing middle-class, expanding like manufacturing and retail, one of the tellst-growing teli communication sectors in the world, a rapidly growing foreign investment. it is a continent full of young andle with dreams ambitions. last year in south africa i held a town hall with young men and women from across the continent,

including some who joined us by video from uganda, and one young ugandan woman spoke for many when she said to me we are looking for equal business partners and commitments, not aid. we want to do business at home and be the ones to own our own market. that is a sentiment we hear over and over again. when i was traveling through africa last year, what i heard was not just a desire for trade and development that helps nations grow and empowers africans for the long-term. president, i made it clear that the united states is determined to be a partner, a , and an equal partner for the long-term.

look to africa simply for its natural resources. greatesto its resource, its people, its talent, its potential. extract want to minerals from the ground for our growth, we want to create for jobs and opportunities for all people and ofn unleash the next era african growth. since i took office, we have stepped up our efforts across the board. more investment, more trade , and more support for u.s. exports. and i am proud that american exports have grown to record levels. a quarter million good american jobs.

but here is the thing. our entire trade with all of africa is still only about equal to our trade with brazil. of all the goods we export to the world, only about one percent go to sub-saharan africa, so we have a lot of work to do. we have to do better, much better. and one more africans buying american products. i know that you do too and that is why you are here today. blackstone will invest in african energy products. we will bring clean water to the cities. ge will help build african infrastructure. marriott will build more hotels.

told, american companies are announcing new deals worth more than $14 billion, spurring development across africa and selling more stamps with that proud label, made in america. i don't want to just sustain the momentum, i want to up it. game. to up our first, we are going to keep working to renew the african growth and opportunity act and enhance it. we still do the vast majority of our trade with just three countries, south africa, nigeria, and angola. it is still heavily weighted toward the energy sector. we need more africans, including

women and small and medium-sized businesses, getting their goods to market. i am optimistic we to renewwith congress our goals for the long-term. we need to get that done. second, as part of our doing business in africa campaign, we are going to do even more to help american companies compete. we are going to put even more teams on the ground advocating for companies. we are going to create even more trade missions. $7ay, we are announcing billion to create trade growth in africa. a newr today i announced advisory council of business leaders to make sure we are doing everything we can to help you do business in africa.

i would be remiss if i did not add that house republicans can help by reauthorizing the bill.-import that is the right thing to do. i was trying to explain to somebody that if i have a ford dealership and the toyota dealership is providing financing to anybody who walks into the dealership and i am not, i am going to lose business. pretty straightforward. we need to get that reauthorized. and business leaders can help number three, we want to partner with africa to build the infrastructure that economies need bearish. that starts with electricity, which most africans still lacked. that is why last year while traveling i announced a bold initiative to power africa, to

double the amount of electricity and bring it to 20 million homes and is mrs.. we joined with african governments, the african development bank, and the private sector. i will tell you that the response has exceeded our projections and has been overwhelming. already projects and negotiations are underway that when completed will put us 80% of the way towards our goal. the significant resources we have already committed i am announcing that the united states will increase our pledge to $300 million per year for this effort and, as of today, including an additional $12 billion in new commitments being announced i drive a sector partners, the world bank, and government of sweden we have mobilized a total of more than $26 billion to power africa just since we announced it. $26 billion. [applause] so, today we are raising the bar. are meetinghat we

the goal to easily. we have to go up. so, we are tripling our goal, aiming to bring electricity to more than 60 million african homes and businesses, sparking growth for decades to come. [applause] we will do more to help africans trade with each other. because the markets with the greatest attentional are often the countries right next door and it should not be harder to export your goods to your neighbor than it is to export those goods to los angeles or amsterdam. so, through our trade africa initiative we will increase our investment to help our others build their own capacity to trade, to strengthen regional market, make borders more efficient, modernize the custom system. we want to get african goods moving faster. within africa as well as outside of africa.

doing more toe empower the next generation of african entrepreneurs and business leaders. young men and women, like our extraordinary washington fellows that we met last week. i have to say to the heads of state and government that you would have been extraordinarily proud to meet these young people who exhibit so much talent, energy, and drive. with new regional leadership centers and online courses we will offer training and networking for tens of thousands of young entrepreneurs across africa. grants to help them access the capital that they need to grow. our global entrepreneurship summit this year will be held in rock. next year in sub-saharan africa for the first time. we want to make sure that that talent is cap and that they have , networks,he capital

and markets that they need to succeed. because if they succeed, the countries in which they live will succeed. they will create jobs. they will create growth. they will create opportunity. thebottom line is that united states is making a major long-term investment in african progress. taken together, the new commitments i have described today across the government and by our many partners total sum $33 billion. that will support development across africa and jobs in the united states. up to tens of thousands of american jobs are supported every time we expand trade with africa. as critical as all of these investments are, the key to unlocking the next era of african growth is not going to be here in the united states, it will be in africa. week's summit we will be discussing a whole range of areas where we will have to

work together. areas that are important in their own right but also essential to africa's growth. is one thing. development programs and projects are one thing. that rule of law? a good tory reform -- but rule of law? regulatory reform? those things matter even more. people should be able to ship their goods without paying a bribe or hiring someone's cousins. development is critical, because it is the best way to boost incomes for the majority of africans or farmers, especially if a deal with the impacts of climate change. rebuilding a strong health infrastructure for mothers and children is critical, because no country can prosper unless it citizens are healthy and strong and children are starting off with the advantages that they need to grow to their full potential.

to have to talk about security and peace. the future belongs to those who build, not those who destroy. it is very hard to attract business investments and very hard to build infrastructure and very hard to sustain entrepreneurship in the midst of conflict. so, i just want to close with one example of what trade can help us to build together. born in kenya, her family was originally from india and eventually she emigrated to the united states and along with her husband started a small business in california. it started off as a small engineering firm. then they started manufacturing small power generators. with the help of the export import act, including seminars, a line of credit, and risk insurance, they started exporting power generators to west africa. they held to build a new electric power plant. it ended up being a win-win for everyone.

company, their combustion associates, because exports have boosted their sales , meaning they have been able to hire more workers in the united states. .hey partnered with ge ge is doing well. most of their revenue is from export to africa. it has been a win for their suppliers in texas, ohio, and new york. it has been a win for the people. more electricity for families and businesses. becausethe power plant the company hires locally and trains those workers. they hope to keep expanding as part of our empower africa mission. this is an example of just one small business. imagine if we could replicate that success across our countries. when the customers see the label, made in america, it puts us above the competition. her vision for the company is

the same vision that brings us all here today. she says -- we really want to have a long-term partnership with africa. so, she is here. i had a chance to meet her backstage. where is she? . stand up. so, she is doing great irked. thank you so much. -- he is doing great work. thank you so much. [applause] she is an example of what is possible. a long-term partnership with africa. that is what america offers. that is the difference that we can make one africans and americans work together. so, let's follow her lead. let's do even more business together. let's tear down barriers that hold us back, build up the roads, the infrastructure, the ports, the electricity that in a car countries. let's create more, sell more, buy more from each other. we won't just propel the next era of african growth, we will

create more jobs and opportunities for everybody. for people here in the united states and for people around the world. thank you very much, everybody, for what so far has been an outstanding session. [applause] >> please. >> thank you. >> thank you very much, mr. president, for this opportunity. happy birthday. >> thank you. >> thank you very much. >> have you introduced yourself to everybody? >> i wanted to jump in -- >> go ahead and introduce yourself. >> i am a young entrepreneur, 21, from zimbabwe. i am working in the technology developing internet for zimbabwe. [applause]

let me just -- this is an example of our young african leaders. in fact, the youngest young african leader. one thing i will say, though, if you are going to promote your business, you have to make sure to let people know. [laughter] >> definitely. definitely. >> a little tip. >> you can't be shy. -- a little tip. you can't be shy. >> thank you, mr. president. i was going to get to my business and how we are where we are. working in the technology space, working on my third start up, we are creating zimbabwe's first free internet access network. in our working became to a point in time where we needed to bring in technology from the united states. so, we were engaging in conversation with businesses. time and time again we heard

that unfortunately we can't do business with you because you are from zimbabwe. i was shocked, you know. it just didn't make sense. this was the same experience that other entrepreneurs in zimbabwe have gone through. down with potential investors, you talk about the project, the opportunity, the growth, and they are excited. all systems are firing, right? and then i say i am from zimbabwe and they look at me and say -- sorry, young man, this is a good project but of we cannot engage in business with you. i understand the censors imposed on entities in zimbabwe. but we have come to a point in time where we as young africans are failing to properly engage business with just these entities. we actually believe that zimbabwe is special. so, what can be due to try to clarify this?

to make sure that we can develop africa and gain business? >> obviously the situation in zimbabwe is somewhat unique. the challenge for us in the united states has been -- how do we balance our desire to help the people of zimbabwe with what has frankly been a repeated basic democratic practices and human rights inside zimbabwe? we think it is very important to send clear signals about how we expect elections to be conducted, governments to be conducted. all tooif we don't, often with impunity the people of those countries can suffer. you are absolutely right, it has to be balanced with making sure that whatever structures we put in place with respect to

sanctions don't wind up punishing the very people inside those countries. my immediate suggestion, and this is for a broader point to all the african businesses who are here, as well as the u.s. businesses, is to make sure that we are using the department of commerce and the other u.s. agencies, where we can gather groups of entrepreneurs and find out exactly what can be done, what can the done, what resources there are. it may be that you and a group of entrepreneurs in zimbabwe are able to meet with us and propose certain projects that allow us something wes is will advance as opposed to return, the progress for the zimbabwean people. what i would suggest would the

that we set up a meeting and we find out what kinds of things the young entrepreneurs in zimbabwe want to do. the weighted you assist with the strong message that we send to the governments -- the ways how you assist with the strong message that we -- the way is how you assist with the strong messages that we send to the government in zimbabwe. >> if these functions are really they are supposed to hamper the business. >> let's see if we can refine them into some of the things you're talking about. >> that's right. and there has been a good number of investments that have been announced here. multibillion dollar businesses in africa. we are really excited. let's talk about how the public and private partnerships will come into africa.

i really want to bring it to a point of clarity. i believe that it is stratifying itself. we have existing indigenous businesses in this country with opportunities to invest. this is usually where the funding comes through. but then underneath that we have these young, upcoming entrepreneurs, innovators, you know? with services that disrupt the industry. this is the innovation that we projects ford africans, by africans. what we see is the investment coming through, but it never comes down to the emerging businesses. it forms a sort of ceiling that we cannot rake through. when it comes to investment, when you are talking about solving unemployment, i believe it is more realistic to assume and understand that for the original setups employing 10

people over a given time is more realistic than one company with 100 people. so, has there been any consideration in these deals that have been announced to cater to the young entrepreneur who is trying to innovate and solve the problems of society? all, for thet of business leaders who are here, it isfrican and u.s., hard being at start up everywhere. >> that is true. >> part of what you are describing is typical of business around the world. folks are already in. they don't necessarily want to share. they don't want to be disrupted. if it is a great opportunity, they would rather do it themselves. if they see a small up-and-coming hotshot that might disrupt their business, they might initially try to block you or they may try to buy you out.

getting financing for startup is always going to be difficult. entrepreneursfrom in the u.s. as well. having said that, what is absolutely true is that as we think about the billions of dollars that were mobilized, we want to make sure that small businesses, medium-sized businesses, women owned businesses, that they have opportunity. so, my instructions to all of our agencies -- and hopefully the work that we are doing with all of our partners -- how can -- identifytarget and target financing for start ups? how can we identify and wake of u.s. companies with small and medium-sized businesses -- wake up u.s. companies with small and medium-size businesses? i think you are absolutely right, by us trying to spread -- not narrowly,

,hrough one or two companies that the opportunity for success is higher. it also creates a healthy competition. that is also true in how we are designing, for example, our feed the future program. 2ich is working with almost million small farmers inside of africa. i met within senegal a woman, maybe in her 30's. she had a small plot of land initially. for her feed the future program, she had been able to mechanize and double her productivity. by doubling her productivity and through a smartphone, getting better prices to the market, she was able to increase your profits. and she bought a tractor. and she doubled her productivity again.

started off asad just a program to increase her for a had become capital roaring business where she was now hiring people in her area. processingome of the herself so that she could move up the value chain. there are entrepreneurs like that across africa. sometimes the capital that they need is not very large. sometimes it is a modest amount. make suret to do is that we are constantly looking at opportunities to disburse this capital. not just narrowly, but broadly. u.s. companies are constantly looking for opportunities to work with the young entrepreneurs, startups, and not just those who are going to be the same, well-established is mrs.. there will be some large capital where you have got a

good, solid established company. hopefully they themselves have theiries, with respect to suppliers, that allow them to start encouraging growth in small businesses as well. >> i am glad that you acknowledged that and i hope that you believe in these views in the investments that we talked about. that one of those conditions being that one of those large with theions help people at the grassroots. you spoke about this lady is using a smartphone. it is one key issue that is really propelling business in africa, the ability to leverage technology. it is all about these things. to get more people connected. this is a huge opportunity in africa as well. this is a troubling issue that has been brought to our attention.

with these organizations that have come up and said that we want to control the internet, that we want to see who gets ,hat traffic from whom politicians and -- politicians like that become telling for this late in summer -- for this lady who you are talking about, what is your stance on net neutrality and its use in growth and development in africa? >> an important issue for all heads of state and government, not just in africa but around the world. the reason the internet is so , because it is everywhere. my daughters can access information from anyplace in the world. they can learn about a particular discipline instantaneously in ways that when i was their age -- first of all, i was not as motivated as

they are. [laughter] they do much better in school than i do. that they can -- the world is at their fingertips. that, and whats has facilitated the incredible value that has been built i companies like google, facebook, and so many others, all of the applications that you find on your smart phone -- they are not restricted, there are not berrier's to entry for new companies that have a good idea to use this open platform to create value. very important, i think, that we maintain that. i know that there is a tension in some countries, their attitude is that they don't necessarily want all of this information flowing because it can wind up being used as a tool for political organizing, it can be used for -- as a tool to

criticize the government. so, maybe we would prefer a system that is more closed. i think that that is a self-defeating attitude. , because ofg term technology, information, knowledge, transparency is inevitable. that is true in the united states. it is true everywhere. so, what we should be doing is trying to maintain an open internet. trying to keep a process whereby any talented person who has an idea can suddenly use the internet to disburse the information. be occasionalg to tensions involved in terms of us monitoring the use of the internet for terrorist networks or criminal enterprises, human trafficking.

ways that do that in are compatible with maintaining an open internet. this raises the broader question i mentioned earlier, which is that africa needs capital. in some cases, africa needs technical assistance. africa certainly needs access to markets. biggest thinge that africa is going to need to unleash even more the potential that is already there and the growth that has already taken is laws and regulations, structures that empower individuals. that are not simply designed to those at theower very top. the internet's one example, you have got to have a system and

sets of laws that encourage entrepreneurship. but that is also true when it comes to a whole host of issues. it is true when it comes to how hard it is to get a business permit. when a new start up like yours wants to establish itself, when areomes to power, there billions of dollars floating around in the world that are interested in investing in power generation. the countries they are going to attract that investment to are the ones where the investor that if a power plant is built, there are transparent rules that will ensure that they will get a decent return. and that some of the revenue is not siphoned off in certain ways . there are certain political risks with respect to corruption.

the more that governments set up the right rules, understanding that in the 21st century the power that drives wealth and development in the marketplace involves knowledge that cannot be controlled, the more successful the countries are going to be. the issue of on net neutrality, you are advocating for an open internet. which would then have structure to ensure that the process is not abuse? >> there are two issues. net neutrality in the united states, one of the issues around net neutrality is whether you are creating different rates or for different content providers. that is the big controversy here. you have big media companies who might be willing to pay more,

but then also charge more for more spectrum, more bandwidth on the internet so that they can stream movies faster or what have you. i, personally, the position of my administration and a lot of companies is -- you don't want to start getting a differentiation and how accessible the internet is to various users. you want to leave it open so that the next google or facebook can succeed. another problem, though, if there are other countries -- and i think this is what you are alluding to -- that feel comfortable with the idea of controlling and censoring internet content in their home countries. setting up rules and laws about what can or cannot be on the internet. i think that that is not only going to inhibit entrepreneurs

on the internet, i think it is also going to inhibit the growth of the country generally because a closed society that is not open to new ideas, eventually evolves behind. out on the they miss future because they are so locked into trying to maintain the past. >> thank you for the clarity. when we began this conversation, we were alluding to the fact aat there needed to be separation between the political function and the economic function in the way of doing business. difficult, but i have gone to a good number of conferences where the deliverable ends on the majority is that we needed to go to the government to create policies that are conducive. that is usually what you get

when you try to get someone to do something, right? in terms of coming up and saying, yes, we promise, that is the whole political fear thing. but apart from that, what can we as business leaders, in the private sector, what can we do, sort of independently, what can we do to create this economic environment for the growth and development of content? >> look, although this is not always a popular decision -- position in washington these days, the truth is that government really can help set the conditions and framework for markets to function effectively. in part because governments are able to initiate projects like roads, bridges, and airports, which any individual business would find prosperous. it would not make sense to

invest in what is a collective will not help your bottom line if everyone else is using it. that is part of the function of government. part of the function of government is to educate the population so you have a well-trained work or spirit there are certain common goods air maintaining clean and water and making sure if you have capital markets that they are well regulated so they are trustworth and investors know that they are investing in a stock that they are not being cheated. there are a host of functions the government has to play. it drives innovation typically is not what happened and government. it is what is happening in companies. what we found in the united states is that companies, once they have got the basic role and