Bush Concludes Five-Nation Africa Tour in Nigeria

Meets with President Obasanjo, visits AIDS-related hospital

Abuja, Nigeria -- President Bush spent the last day of his July 8-12 tour of five African nations visiting a hospital with a special HIV/AIDS program and addressing the sixth biennial Leon Sullivan Summit. He was also honored with a 21-gun salute during a ceremony at Nigeria's imposing presidential compound in the shadow of Aso Rock, the granite formation looming over the capital.

After landing at Nnamdi Azikikwe International Airport the evening before, Bush and his wife Laura began their last day on the continent visiting the Abuja National Hospital, the largest government-supported health facility in the capital. The 200-bed hospital has state of the art equipment and employs over 1,000 doctors and health professionals.

The U.S. president has made helping Africans battle diseases like HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis a top priority of his foreign assistance strategy. A senior administration official who accompanied the president said that between 1999 and 2003 the U.S. Government has spent $65 million on AIDS in Nigeria. He added, "For our 2004 budget we expect to spend about $35 million."

At the National Hospital, Bush spoke with women at the Prevention from Mother to Child Transmission service (PMTCT) center. The HIV/AIDS-related program was begun with the help of the U.S. Agency for International Development and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

Bush met mothers infected with HIV/AIDS and participated in a roundtable discussion on ways to treat what he called "a deadly, preventable disease" as well as provide the type of social services that help victims "continue to lead hopeful and productive lives," he later told a Sullivan Summit audience.

When Bush signed the landmark "U.S. Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Act of 2003" in May, he spoke of the need for the legislation: "In Sub-Saharan Africa, almost 9 percent of adults have HIV/AIDS. That is already more than 25 million people, including 3 million younger than 15. Every day more than 14,000 additional Africans contract the virus and every day almost 8,500 die from it."

Following Bush's hospital tour, a senior administration official told the press that Bush visited AIDS facilities during his African trip in part because he "has become quite passionate" about the disease.

In Nigeria, the official said, the AIDS infection rate is between five and six percent of the population or four to six million people. This amounts to about 10 percent of all people infected worldwide, "So, it is a very significant problem."

On an optimistic note, the official said, "I think there's a number of things that are being done effectively in Nigeria. Most important is the leadership coming from the president and the government here, as well as the tremendous work that non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are doing in Nigeria. USAID, for example, is working with 110 NGOs in this country specifically on the issue of HIV/AIDS."

After his hospital tour, Bush and his delegation, including Secretary of State Colin Powell and National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice traveled to the presidential compound, called Aso House, where the Nigerian Army's presidential gun platoon fired off a 21-gun salute. After a military band played the national anthems of both nations, the president reviewed a 200-member unit of the 3rd Brigade Presidential Guard in the vast courtyard of the compound.

Following the ceremony Bush and his host, President Olusegun Obasanjo, met briefly and afterward, during a photo opportunity, the Nigerian head of state said, "We in Africa realize the extent to which we are ultimately responsible for our own development and that we are the architects of our fortune or misfortune. Nevertheless, this is also generally true that hardly any country has transformed its fortunes without external support from friends and well-wishers."

He continued: "That is why we acknowledge with deepest appreciation the role that the United States has played and continues to play, particularly within the G-8 in supporting the vision of the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD). As you are well aware, Mr. President, NEPAD is our vision, as well as our blueprint for making our continent great."

Bush, in turn, told Obasanjo, "I appreciate very much your commitment to trade and markets, and we look forward to being an active trading partner with Nigeria. I appreciate your commitment to regional peace, and we will work with Nigeria and ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) on issues such as Liberia. I appreciate very much your focus on education, and the United States stands ready to help.

"But most of all, Mr. President, I appreciate your honesty and openness and forthrightness when it comes to battling the pandemic of AIDS. You're truly an international leader on this issue. And the United States of America, when Congress acts, will stand side-by-side with leaders such as yourself to fight the pandemic of AIDS to save lives."

For his last event of the day, Bush addressed more than 1,000 persons, including African heads of state, top U.S. officials and leaders from the U.S. and African private sectors attending the 6th Sullivan Summit, formerly the African-African American Summit, being held this year in Abuja. "We believe that the relationship between America and Africa will benefit both our people," Bush said. "Work of the summit to promote commerce and understanding across the Atlantic is important work. And I'm determined that the American government will do its part. We will help the nations of the world."

But, he added, "To be effective, development aid requires pro-growth policies and strong reforms in the nations that receive the aid. The Millennium Challenge Account I have proposed would direct resources to countries with governments that rule justly, root out corruption, encourage entrepreneurship, and invest in the health and education of their people.

"Working together, we can help make this a decade of rising prosperity and expanding peace across Africa," he concluded.

In addition to Nigeria, Bush has visited Senegal, South Africa, Botswana and Uganda during his African trip.