JUNE 2012

U.S. STR ATEGY TOWAR D 

SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

THE WHITE HOUSE

WASHINGTON

June 14, 2012

Nearly 3 years ago, I remarked in front of the Ghanaian Parliament that Africa is a fundamental 

part of our interconnected world. Since that time, we have partnered with leaders, youth, and 

civil society in Africa to deepen the principles of democracy and human rights, to expand 

economic opportunity, and to support those who seek peace where war and deprivation have 

plagued communities. Africa and its people are partners with America in creating the future 

we want for all of our children—a future that is grounded in growth, mutual responsibility, and 

mutual respect.

As we look toward the future, it is clear that Africa is more important than ever to the security 

and prosperity of the international community, and to the United States in particular. Africa’s 

economies are among the fastest growing in the world, with technological change sweeping 

across the continent and offering tremendous opportunities in banking, medicine, politics, and 

business. At the same time, the burgeoning youth population in Africa is changing economies 

and political systems in profound ways.

Addressing the opportunities and challenges in Africa requires a comprehensive U.S. policy 

that is proactive, forward-looking, and that balances our long-term interests with near-term 

imperatives. This U.S. Strategy Toward Sub-Saharan Africa solidifies and advances many of 

the initiatives that we have launched since I took office in order to help achieve that balance, 

and elevates two efforts that will be critical to the future of Africa: strengthening democratic 

institutions and boosting broad-based economic growth, including through trade and investment. 

Strong, accountable, and democratic institutions, sustained by a deep commitment to the rule of 

law, generate greater prosperity and stability, and meet with greater success in mitigating conflict 

and ensuring security. Sustainable, inclusive economic growth is a key ingredient to security, 

political stability, and development, and it underpins efforts to alleviate poverty, creating the 

resources that will bolster opportunity and allow individuals to reach their full potential.

While many countries on the continent have made tremendous strides to broaden political 

participation and reduce corruption, there is more work to be done to ensure fair electoral 

processes, transparent institutions that protect universal rights, and the provision and protection 

of security and public goods. Our message to those who would derail the democratic process is 

clear and unequivocal: the United States will not stand idly by when actors threaten legitimately 

elected governments or manipulate the fairness and integrity of democratic processes, and we 

will stand in steady partnership with those who are committed to the principles of equality, 

justice, and the rule of law.

America believes in Africa as a region of growing opportunity and promise, for Africa, for 

America, and for our people and our economies. We believe that Africa can be the world’s 

next major economic success story. We will work with our African partners to build strong 

institutions, to remove constraints to trade and investment, and to expand opportunities for 

African countries to effectively access each other’s markets and global markets, to embrace 
sound economic governance, and diversify their economies beyond a narrow reliance on natural 

resources, and—most importantly—create opportunities for Africa’s people to prosper. As we 

support these efforts, we will encourage American companies to seize trade and investment 

opportunities in Africa, so that their skills, capital, and technology will further support the 

region’s economic expansion, while helping to create jobs here in America.

Across all of these efforts, the United States will prioritize efforts to empower the next 

generation of African leadership. These young men and women have shown time and again the 

willingness and ability to change their communities and their countries for the better, and the 

United States will continue to be their steadfast ally and partner. America’s partnership with 

this new generation of Africans will extend beyond our Government to the broad and deepening 

relationships between our peoples, businesses, and institutions. These roots will drive our path to 

a future of democracy, peace, and prosperity for generations to come.
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U.S. Strategy Toward Sub-Saharan Africa

Introduction

Upon taking office, President Obama committed to supporting strong, open, and accountable governments and sustainable development in Africa. In his speech before the Ghanaian Parliament in July 2009, 

the President asserted that Africa is a fundamental part of our interconnected world, and called for a 

partnership with Africa that is “grounded in mutual responsibility and mutual respect.” The National 

Security Strategy, released in May 2010, reinforces this vision, and calls for partnership with African 

nations as they grow their economies and strengthen their democratic institutions and governance. In 

June 2012, the President approved a Presidential Policy Directive that outlines his vision with respect to 

U.S. policy toward sub-Saharan Africa. This document is drawn from and reflects that Directive.

Over the last three and a half years, we have worked to translate the President’s words to the Ghanaian 

Parliament into action. We have supported democratic development by strengthening institutions and 

challenging leaders whose actions threaten peaceful political transitions, including in Cote d’Ivoire. We 

have advanced peace and security by playing an integral role in the birth of South Sudan, supporting 

the African Union Mission in Somalia, and working with regional partners to counter the predatory 

Lord’s Resistance Army. We have engaged young African leaders who will shape the continent’s future. 

We have invested in development partnerships to foster sustained economic growth, promote food 

security, increase resilience to climate change, and improve the capacity of countries and communities 

to address HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other health threats. We have been the world’s leader in responding 

to humanitarian crises, including in the Horn of Africa, while at the same time working with our African 

partners to promote resilience and prevent future crises.

The economies of sub-Saharan Africa are among the world’s most rapidly growing. An increasing number 

of African governments and regional organizations are taking a lead role in addressing the security and 

political challenges within their borders and beyond and are increasingly influential players in international fora. The African Union serves as an important leader on political, diplomatic, and peacekeeping 

issues across the continent. At the same time, urbanization and a burgeoning youth population are 

changing the region’s demographics in profound ways, and young people are increasingly making 

their voices heard. 

While the continent has made important gains on democracy and institution building, those gains are 

fragile. There are still too many countries where the transition to democracy is uneven and slow, and 

leaders who resist relinquishing power. In many countries, corruption is endemic, and state institutions 

remain weak. In addition to eroding the legitimacy of governments, these factors impede local business 

activity and foreign investment. Despite having much of the world’s arable land and many of its richest 

fisheries, the agricultural sectors of many sub-Saharan African states are underperforming, and poverty 

still cripples the lives of too many. Transnational security challenges pose threats to regional stability, 

economic growth, and U.S. interests. 

As the United States addresses these opportunities and challenges, we will be guided by our core interests in sub-Saharan Africa: ensuring the security of the United States, our citizens, and our allies and 
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partners; promoting democratic states that are economically vibrant and strong partners of the United 

States on the world stage; expanding opportunities for U.S. trade and investment; preventing conflict 

and mass atrocities; and fostering broad-based, sustainable economic growth and poverty alleviation. 

Given the growing strategic importance of sub-Saharan Africa to the United States, over the next 5 years 

we will elevate our focus on and dedicate greater effort to strengthening democratic institutions and 

spurring economic growth, trade, and investment, while continuing to pursue other objectives on the 

continent. Stronger democratic institutions lead countries to achieve greater prosperity and stability; 

are more successful in mitigating conflict and countering transnational threats; and serve as stronger 

partners of the United States. Additionally, promoting sustainable, inclusive economic growth is a key 

ingredient of security, political stability, and development, and it underpins efforts to alleviate poverty, 

creating the resources to support health care, education, and other public goods. 

The Four Pillars of the U.S. Strategy Toward Sub-Saharan Africa

The United States will partner with sub-Saharan African countries to pursue the following interdependent and mutually reinforcing objectives: (1) strengthen democratic institutions; (2) spur economic 

growth, trade, and investment; (3) advance peace and security; and (4) promote opportunity and 

development. Across all objectives, we will: deepen our engagement with Africa’s young leaders; seek 

to empower marginalized populations and women; address the unique needs of fragile and post-conflict 

states; and work closely with the U.N. and other multilateral actors to achieve our objectives on the 

continent. 

I. Strengthen Democratic Institutions

As the President said in Ghana, “Africa doesn’t need strong men, it needs strong institutions.” We will 

work to advance democracy by strengthening institutions at every level, supporting and building upon 

the aspirations of Africans for more open and accountable governance, promoting human rights and 

the rule of law, and challenging leaders whose actions threaten the credibility of democratic processes. 

As the National Security Strategy states, our support for democracy is critical to U.S. interests and is a 

fundamental component of American leadership abroad. We will pursue the following actions: 

• Promote Accountable, Transparent, and Responsive Governance. The United States will 

expand efforts to support and empower key reformers and institutions of government at 

all levels to promote the rule of law, strengthen checks on executive power, and incorporate 

responsive governance practices. We will also seek to expand African membership in the Open 

Government Partnership and the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, which promote 

sound governance, transparency, and accountability.

• Bolster Positive Models. The United States recognizes that Africans must forge lasting solutions, and build their own democracies. To this end, we will support those leaders and actors who 

are creating vibrant democratic models, including elected leaders as well as young Africans who 

are leaders in civil society and entrepreneurship. We will use the facilitating power of the United 

States Government to help young African leaders network with one another, share innovative 

solutions, and demonstrate America’s support for their efforts. 
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• Promote and Protect Human Rights, Civil Society, and Independent Media. The 

United States will amplify and support voices calling for respect for human rights, rule of law, 

accountability and transitional justice mechanisms, and independent media. Further, we will 

continue to focus on empowering women and marginalized populations, and opposing discrimination based on disability, gender, or sexual orientation.

• Ensure a Sustained Focus on the Credibility of Democratic Processes. The United States will 

take a strong and consistent stand against actions that undermine democratic institutions or 

the legitimacy of democratic processes. We will evaluate elections against the highest possible 

standards of fairness and impartiality. The United States will seek to expand adherence to the 

principle of civilian control of the military, and will support strong measures against individuals 

or groups that threaten legitimately elected governments.

• Promote Strong Democratic Norms. The United States will support efforts by regional and 

international bodies to enforce the consistent application of democratic practices, particularly 

the African Union’s African Charter on Democracy, Elections, and Governance and other multilateral standards. We will support basic and civic education to ensure future generations are 

active, informed, and committed to the rights and responsibilities of democratic citizenship. 

II. Spur Economic Growth, Trade, and Investment 

It is in the interest of the United States to improve the region’s trade competitiveness, encourage the 

diversification of exports beyond natural resources, and ensure that the benefits from growth are 

broad-based. We will pursue the following actions as we seek to accelerate inclusive economic growth, 

including through trade and investment:

• Promote an Enabling Environment for Trade and Investment. Building on U.S. programs 

such as the Partnership for Growth and New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition, as well as 

international programs such as the Open Government Partnership and the Extractive Industries 

Transparency Initiative, we will encourage legal, regulatory, and institutional reforms that contribute to an environment that enables greater trade and investment in sub-Saharan Africa. We 

will also encourage sub-Saharan Africa’s private sector to engage governments to undertake 

these necessary reforms.

• Improve Economic Governance. We will help to build the public sector’s capacity to provide 

services and improve protections against illicit financial activity. Greater economic governance 

facilitates effective management of public finances, more efficient and transparent use of (and 

less reliance on) donor aid, and increased transparency and accountability. In turn, strong public 

financial management helps increase transparency and effectiveness in government operations 

and broaden the revenue base. 

• Promote Regional Integration. Increased African regional integration would create larger 

markets, improve economies of scale, and reduce transaction costs for local, regional, and 

global trade. We will work with regional economic communities, including through the U.S.-

East African Community Trade and Investment Initiative, and national governments to reduce 

the barriers to trade and investment flows across the continent. In particular, we will promote 
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trade facilitation, customs modernization, and standards harmonization; support regulatory 

coherence and transparency; improve infrastructure that strengthens regional trade and access 

to global markets; and explore ways to remove impediments to efficient operation of supply 

chains in the region. 

• Expanding African Capacity to Effectively Access and Benefit from Global Markets.  

Notwithstanding the tariff advantages afforded by the United States to sub-Saharan Africa, 

non-oil exports from Africa to the United States continue to grow slowly and have not reached 

their full potential. To increase Africa’s capacity to produce goods for export that are diverse, 

competitive, and meet global standards, we will (1) work with the Congress to extend the unilateral preferences under the African Growth and Opportunity Act beyond 2015 and extend 

the Generalized System of Preferences beyond 2013, while also exploring ways to update these 

programs and enhance African capacity to fully utilize and benefit from these programs, including through the African Competitiveness and Trade Expansion Initiative; (2) increase cooperation and technical assistance on a range of issues, including building Africa’s capacity to meet 

product standards, food safety and sanitary and phytosanitary requirements, product testing, 

and certification requirements; and (3) take steps to increase productive capacity and improve 

the competitiveness of African exports, including by helping to address a range of supply-side 

constraints that raise costs and reduce the efficiency of exports.

• Encourage U.S. Companies to Trade with and Invest in Africa. Many U.S. businesses – particularly small- and medium-sized enterprises – are unaware of opportunities for trade with 

and investment in Africa, or face challenges establishing business relationships in sub-Saharan 

African countries. In harmony with the National Export Initiative, we will develop a “Doing 

Business in Africa Campaign” to harness the resources of the United States Government to 

assist U.S. businesses in identifying and seizing opportunities in sub-Saharan Africa. We will 

also engage with members of the sub-Saharan African Diaspora in the United States, who are 

showing an increasing level of interest in investing in their countries of origin.

III. Advance Peace and Security 

African states are showing increasing capacity to take the lead on security issues on the continent. 

Nonetheless, international and domestic conflict and the inability of some governments to meet the 

basic security needs of their people continue to be key obstacles to effective democratic governance, 

economic growth, trade and investment, and human development. Only Africa’s governments and 

people can sustainably resolve the security challenges and internal divisions that have plagued the 

continent, but the United States can make a positive difference. Recognizing this fact, we will pursue 

the following actions: 

• Counter al-Qa’ida and Other Terrorist Groups. In our approach to counterterrorism, we will 

continue to be guided by the President’s affirmation in the National Security Strategy that he 

bears no greater responsibility than ensuring the safety and security of the American people.  

Consistent with the National Strategy for Counterterrorism, we will concentrate our efforts 

on disrupting, dismantling, and eventually defeating al-Qa’ida and its affiliates and adherents 
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in Africa to ensure the security of our citizens and our partners. In doing so, we will seek to 

strengthen the capacity of civilian bodies to provide security for their citizens and counter violent extremism through more effective governance, development, and law enforcement efforts.

• Advance Regional Security Cooperation and Security Sector Reform.  We will deepen our 

security partnerships with African countries and regional organizations and their stand-by forces 

by expanding efforts to build African military capabilities through low-cost, small-footprint 

operations, consistent with the vision set forth in “Sustaining U.S. Global Leadership: Priorities 

for 21st Century Defense.”  We will also seek to strengthen the capacity of civilian bodies and 

institutions to improve the continent’s ability to provide security and respond to emerging 

conflicts. Moreover, U.S. military and civilian agencies will help establish effective partner nation 

security forces, intelligence organizations, and law enforcement and border control agencies 

that are subordinate to and operating jointly with their constitutional civil authorities. 

• Prevent Transnational Criminal Threats. We will build comprehensive partnerships that 

leverage our land border, maritime, aviation, cybersecurity, and financial sector expertise to 

counter illicit movement of people, arms, drugs, and money, as well as guard against the criminal 

facilitation of weapons of mass destruction material and technology. We will work to curb armed 

robbery at sea and protect fisheries, and continue to implement our Counter-Piracy Action Plan 

off the coast of Somalia.  Consistent with the Strategy to Combat Transnational Organized Crime, 

we will support efforts and build partner capacity to combat corruption and instability as well 

as to combat trafficking in persons.

• Prevent Conflict and, Where Necessary, Mitigate Mass Atrocities and Hold Perpetrators 

Accountable.  Consistent with the objectives of Presidential Study Directive-10, we will address 

atrocity risks at the earliest stage possible to help prevent violence before it emerges, and bolster 

domestic and international efforts to bring perpetrators to justice.  We will also cultivate deeper 

and broader support among governments and multilateral organizations to work toward the 

same objectives. 

• Support Initiatives to Promote Peace and Security. We will support U.N. peacebuilding and 

peacekeeping missions in sub-Saharan Africa, including by working to ensure that peacekeeping 

missions are well-led, well-supported, and appropriately resourced in order to maximize their 

effectiveness. Within African countries, we will support those who work to overcome communal 

divisions in pursuit of sustainable and peaceful political processes.

IV. Promote Opportunity and Development 

This Administration, including through the Presidential Policy Directive on Global Development, has 

charted a new approach that focuses on sustainable development outcomes and a new operational 

model for U.S. development assistance and builds on our work to date.  Africa is the focus of three key 

Presidential development initiatives: the Global Health Initiative, Feed the Future, and the Global Climate 

Change Initiative. Additionally, two of the four Partnership for Growth countries (Ghana and Tanzania) 

are in Africa. In each of these efforts, we have highlighted the importance of reform and transparency 
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to development and prioritized good economic and project management to promote sustainability. 

We are investing in a growing number of good-performing countries and seeing the evidence in clear 

outcomes and the increased capacity and commitment of our partners. We will pursue the following 

actions as we strive to further accelerate development progress: 

• Address Constraints to Growth and Promote Poverty Reduction.  We will leverage our 

engagement via multilateral financial institutions to advocate for increased financing for poorer 

countries, and will focus on addressing constraints to growth. We will encourage governments 

to use revenues, particularly from energy sources, to more broadly benefit their populations, and 

we will continue to support the expansion and improvement of sub-Saharan Africa’s education 

services. 

• Promote Food Security. Food security will remain a priority, consistent with the commitments 

made by the United States at the L’Aquila Summit, through the Feed the Future Initiative, and 

the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition launched at the 2012 G-8 Summit. We will 

build on the progress achieved thus far, while also intensifying our efforts to promote policy 

reforms, drive increased private capital to African agriculture, scale innovation, and reduce risk.

• Transform Africa’s Public Health. We will work through the Global Health Initiative and our 

disease-specific programs, including the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and the 

President’s Malaria Initiative, to tackle other diseases and malnutrition while strengthening 

health systems for sustainable impact. We will continue to leverage the leadership being 

demonstrated by a growing number of African countries on global health in order to bolster 

our efforts to promote good governance, development, and economic growth, including as 

we pursue the expanded AIDS prevention targets announced on World AIDS Day in 2011 and 

through the June 2012 Child Survival Call to Action.

• Increase Opportunities for Women and Youth.  We will continue to use our diplomacy 

and assistance programs to empower women, including through the African Women 

Entrepreneurship Program, implementing the U.S. National Action Plan on Women, Peace, 

and Security, and focusing on maternal and child health as a centerpiece of the Global Health 

Initiative.  This includes enhancing efforts to protect women in the context of conflict and 

humanitarian emergencies. We will also continue engaging with Africa’s next generation of 

leaders by advancing the President’s Young African Leaders Initiative to provide tools to support leadership development, promote entrepreneurship, and connect young leaders with one 

another and the United States. 

• Respond to Humanitarian Crises While Promoting Resilience. While continuing to lead the 

world in response to humanitarian crises in Africa, we will promote and bring to scale resilience 

policies and programs. In that context, we will work to prevent the weakening or collapse of local 

economies, protect livestock, promote sustainable access to clean water, and invest in programs 

that reduce community-level vulnerability to man-made and natural disasters.
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• Promote Low-emissions Growth and Sustainable Development, and Build Resilience to 

Climate Change.  We will continue promoting resilience and adaptation to impacts of climate 

change on food, water, and health in vulnerable African countries, supporting the adoption of 

low-emissions development strategies, and mobilizing financing to support the development 

and deployment of clean energy. We will also work to protect and encourage sustainable use 

of Africa’s natural resources.