On an international level, the initiative will also facilitate greater U.S. government collaboration with other donor governments and international institutions. There are several key ongoing regional efforts that will complement the trade and investment initiative. The President's Greater Horn of Africa Initiative, for example, is focusing on preventing crises and achieving political stability and food security. The Initiative for Southern Africa, whose centerpiece is the Enterprise Development Fund, is promoting regional economic integration and investment across 11 countries. We must be bullish on Africa, and we must be realistic.
Serious challenges remain.
Twenty-two of the world's 30 poorest countries are in Africa. A quarter of all African children will die before their fifth birthday from disease and malnutrition. Only half of all adults are literate, and fewer than 20 percent of young people attend high school. AIDS infection rates are the highest in the world. Nowhere is the justification for foreign aid more compelling in terms of our national values than Africa.