Obama Invites Four African Leaders to White House

Presidents Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone, Macky Sall of Senegal, Joyce Banda of Malawi, and Prime Minister José Maria Pereira Neves of Cape Verde, will be US President Barack Obama`s guests next week, according to a White House release on Monday.

White House press secretary Jay Carney said in the statement that Obama and the four African leaders will discuss ways to strengthen democracy in the region and opportunities to expand trade and investment.

The statement cited the "strong partnership" between US and the African countries whose leaders were chosen for the meeting scheduled for March 28.

"The United States has strong partnerships with these countries based on shared democratic values and shared interests," it said.

It added that the five leaders would discuss strengthening democratic institutions across sub-Saharan Africa, and building on the continent`s democratic progress to generate increased economic opportunities and expanded trade and investment.

"The visit of these four leaders underscores the strategic importance the President places on building partnerships and substantive engagement with sub-Saharan Africa, and our commitment to working with strong and emerging African democracies."

Last year, the US president hosted the leaders of Benin, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Ghana at the May 9th G8 Summit at Camp David in the US.

That meeting focused on food security in Africa.

- Africa Review