PRESIDENT OBAMA'S TRIP TO SENEGAL COMES AS THE WEST AFRICAN NATION, AND THE GREATER SAHEL
REGION, FACE UNPRECEDENTED SECURITY CHALLENGES FROM TERRORIST GROUPS.
FOR THE FIRST TIME, THE UNITED STATES IS OFFERING CASH REWARDS TO HELP TRACK DOWN THE LEADERS
OF THESE TRANSNATIONAL JIHADIST ORGANIZATIONS.
BUT THE U.S. STRATEGY IS ULTIMATELY FOCUSED ON HELPING AFRICANS SOLVE THEIR OWN PROBLEMS.
PRESIDENT OBAMA'S VISIT AIMS TO EXPAND TRADE, INVESTMENT AND DEMOCRACY.
VOA'S CORRESPONDENT IN SENEGAL, ANNE LOOK, SAYS PEOPLE ARE EXCITED ABOUT THE PRESIDENT'S
TRIP, THOUGH THEY MAY HAVE ORIGINALLY EXPECTED MORE FROM HIM.
I THINK PEOPLE HAD THIS UNDERSTANDING THAT HE WAS KIND OF A SPECIAL AMERICAN PRESIDENT
AND THAT HE WAS PERHAPS GOING TO PAY MORE ATTENTION TO THEM THAN OTHER PRESIDENTS HAD
AND I THINK THAT'S NOT REALLY WHAT HAPPENED.
BUT, YOU KNOW, THERE IS STILL, YOU KNOW HERE IN SENEGAL PEOPLE DON'T REALLY HAVE ILLUSION
THAT THEY'RE GOING TO REALLY GET TO SEE HIM OR TOUCH HIM OR TALK TO HIM OR...BUT, YOU
KNOW, THE FACT THAT HE'S COMING IS A BIG DEAL.
PEOPLE IN SENEGAL DESCRIBE IT TO ME A LOT AS "WELL, IT'S AN HONOR."
"WHAT WOULD BE IDEAL IS TO NOT NEED PEOPLE TO COME FROM THE OUTSIDE TO TELL US, YES,
YOU ARE A GOOD DEMOCRACY, YOU ARE GOOD STUDENTS.
BUT IT STILL MAKES PEOPLE HAPPY.
IT'S OBAMA.
HE'S A BUSY GUY.
IT'S AN HONOR."
WEST AFRICA RESEARCH CENTER DIRECTOR, OUSMANE SENE, SAYS MR.
OBAMA'S VISIT WILL "REINVIGORATE" PROGRESS BEING MADE IN SENEGAL.
HIS VISIT SHOWS THAT THIS COUNTRY, AS LITTLE AS IT IS, MATTERS.
SENEGAL HAS ONLY 12 MILLION INHABITANTS...AND I DON'T THINK SENEGAL'S ECONOMY IS EVEN AS
BIG AS NEW YORK CITY'S.
WE ARE SMALL COMPARED TO THE UNITED STATES, BUT WHAT WE CAN BRING TO THE WORLD IS SOMETHING
ELSE ENTIRELY.
MR.
OBAMA HAS ONLY MADE ONE OTHER TRIP TO SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA AS PRESIDENT, TO GHANA IN 2009.
HE CALLED FOR BETTER GOVERNANCE.
"AFRICA DOES NOT NEED STRONGMEN.
IT NEEDS STRONG INSTITUTIONS."
PERHAPS THE RARENESS OF THESE VISITS IN SOME WAYS MAKE THEM MORE VALUABLE.
AND WHAT HAVE THEY TOLD YOU ABOUT WHAT THEY'RE HOPING TO HEAR FROM HIM.
I THINK THIS VISIT IS BEING UNDERSTOOD AS KIND OF A KUDOS TO SENEGAL FOR ALL THAT IT'S
ACCOMPLISHED AND ESPECIALLY AFTER LAST YEAR, YOU KNOW, WE HAD A PRETTY DIFFICULT ELECTION
HERE LAST YEAR WITH A LOT OF STREET PROTESTS, YOU KNOW, IT LOOKED A BIT IFFY FOR A WHILE,
IT KIND OF PUSHED THE COUNTRY TO THE LIMIT.
THAT ELECTION IN 2012 BEGAN WITH DEADLY STREET PROTESTS AGAINST THE INCUMBENT'S UNCONSTITUTIONAL
BID FOR A THIRD MANDATE, BUT ENDED WITH A PEACEFUL, TRANSPARENT VOTE AND THE COUNTRY'S
THIRD DEMOCRATIC HANDOVER OF POWER SINCE INDEPENDENCE IN 1960.
YOU KNOW, I TALKED TO A LOT OF PEOPLE AND THEY WOULD SAY THEY WOULD JUST LIKE TO TALK
TO OBAMA ABOUT KIND OF THE DAILY PROBLEMS.
SOCCER COACH ADY NDOYE SAYS PRESIDENT OBAMA HAS A CERTAIN INFLUENCE WITH AFRICAN LEADERS
AND SHOULD USE IT MORE.
"NOT NECESSARILY GIVING THEM LESSONS BUT RATHER INSTILLING IN OUR PRESIDENTS A WAY TO RUN
THEIR COUNTRIES THAT BENEFITS EVERYONE, NOT JUST THE LEADERS AND THEIR FAMILIES."
MAJOR CHALLENGES REMAIN IN SENEGAL.
YOUNG PEOPLE HERE SAY THEY WOULD TELL PRESIDENT OBAMA ABOUT HOW HARD IT IS TO PAY FOR SCHOOL
OR FIND A JOB.
"WE HAD HOPE WITH THE NEW GOVERNMENT, BUT WE STILL DON'T HAVE JOBS.
WE ARE STILL HERE WAITING.
WE NEED A NEW WAY TO GET THERE."
"WE WANT OUR COUNTRY TO BE RICH."
ONE OF THE MAIN GOALS THAT I THINK HAS BEEN EXPLAINED BY THE ADMINISTRATION, SPECIFICALLY
OBAMA'S ADMINISTRATION IS THIS IDEA THAT AFRICANS SHOULD BUILD THEIR OWN FUTURE AND THAT THEY
SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR OWN POLICIES.
HOW IS THAT POLICY RECEIVED?
YEAH, SO IT'S GENERALLY UNDERSTOOD AS THE AMERICAN APPROACH IS AFRICAN SOLUTIONS TO
AFRICAN PROBLEMS AND THAT'S PRETTY WELL RECEIVED.
WE'VE PASSED THE 50 YEAR MARK IN TERMS OF INDEPENDENCE FOR MOST COUNTRIES ON THE CONTINENT
AND THEY FEEL AS THOUGH THEY ARE READY TO TAKE MORE OWNERSHIP FOR THE DIRECTION THEIR
COUNTRIES ARE GOING IN AND INSTITUTIONS THEY'RE BUILDING, BUT, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF CHALLENGES
REMAIN.
I MEAN MALI IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE.
FRANCE BLITZED INTO MALI IN JANUARY WITH AIR STRIKES AND 4,000 GROUND TROOPS TO PUSH BACK
A SOUTHERN OFFENSIVE BY AL-QAIDA AFFILIATES STILL ACTIVE IN THE SAHEL-SAHARA REGION.
THAT IS NOT SOMETHING YOU WILL SEE THE UNITED STATES DOING IN THE REGION ANYTIME SOON DESPITE
THE RECENT TARGETING AND KILLING OF AMERICANS AT THE U.S. CONSULATE IN BENGHAZI AND A NATURAL
GAS FACILITY IN AIN AMENAS.
SO ANNE, LET'S TALK ABOUT THE ROLE OF THE U.S. MILITARY IN AFRICA AND THIS ISSUE OF
DRONES SPECIFICALLY.
YEAH, THE U.S. ANNOUNCED IT IS OPENING ITS SECOND DRONE BASE ON THE CONTINENT IN NIGER.
AND NIGER, IF YOU LOOK AT IT ON A MAP IT'S JUST SMACK IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS VERY UNSTABLE
REGION.
YOU'VE GOT THE SAHEL, YOU'VE GOT MALI, IT'S GOT LIBYA, YOU'VE GOT ALGERIA AND SO I THINK
THIS MOVE, YOU KNOW, THEY OBVIOUSLY DON'T SAY MUCH ABOUT IT PUBLICLY BUT THIS MOVE IS
SEEN AS A REFLECTION OF THE IMPORTANCE THE U.S. PLACES ON THIS REGION AND THE THREAT
THAT'S IN THIS REGION AND THIS DESIRE TO KEEP AN EYE ON THINGS -- TO SURVEIL.
THANKS AGAIN TO ANNE LOOK -- VOA'S CORRESPONDENT IN DAKAR.