Nairobi — "We believe in Africa's promise. We are committed to Africa's future. We will be partners with Africa's people," Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said August 5.

Addressing the opening ministerial session of the Eighth African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Forum, Clinton said the United States and Africa have "shared aspirations for greater economic growth and prosperity across the continent."

Clinton said on the first stop of her historic seven-nation trip that the journey underscores "the significance that President Obama [whose father was born in Kenya] and I place on enhancing the trade and commerce both between Africa and the United States but also within Africa."

Clinton recalled Obama's remarks in Ghana in June, in which he talked about shared responsibility. (See "Obama's Speech in Ghana.")

The flip side of that, she said, is "shared opportunity," and how the United States and Africa can work together to help realize the potential of Africa's 800 million people.

Africans must seize opportunities in the face of "stereotypes, clichés of poverty, disease and conflict," she told her audience.

"The continent has enormous potential for progress," she said.

"Africa is able and making economic progress" and is "ripe with opportunities," she said, but she readily acknowledged that the "economies of many countries have slowed or stagnated under the weight of the global recession."

She also acknowledged that there are still some African countries where some workers "earn less than $1 a day, where mothers and fathers die of preventable diseases, where children are too often schooled with guns instead of books, and where women and girls are mistreated and even raped as a tactic of war and greed and graft are the dominant currency."

The story that also needs to be told, she said, is that "many parts of Africa are rising to 21st-century challenges and following a road map that will turn Africa into a regional and global hub for progress and prosperity."

Clinton said she is looking forward to seeing those signs of progress during her upcoming Africa trip, which will take her from Kenya to South Africa, Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Liberia and Cape Verde.

"There is so much that is going on that needs to be lifted up and spotlighted," she said.

She cited Rwanda as a country making "amazing" progress, with one of the fastest-growing economies and improving health indicators -- all done in the wake of its 1994 genocide, in which more than 800,000 died.

And "new innovations are already transforming lives and fueling economic growth," Clinton said.

"Farmers in both East and West Africa can click a button on their cell phone to check prices on dozens of crops. Pineapple farmers in Ghana are using PDAs [personal digital assistants] and bar-coding technologies to facilitate transport and increase crop yields. The new underwater fiber optic cable will enable hundreds of millions of people to have access to the Internet."

Although Africa missed the first Green Revolution, Clinton said, it now has the opportunity to create its own.

"There are so many concrete examples of the opportunities to be seized," she said.

Clinton discussed four key themes: trade; development; good governance and women.

On trade, Clinton said, "As Africa's largest trading partner, we are committed to trade policies that promote prosperity and stability," and she echoed President Obama's earlier remarks in Ghana that the United States wants to be Africa's partner and not its patron.

Today, she said, Africa accounts for 2 percent of global trade. But "if sub-Saharan Africa was to increase that share by only 1 percent, it would generate additional export revenues each year -- greater than the total amount of annual assistance that Africa currently receives."

The historic African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), passed by the U.S. Congress in 2000, implemented duty-free trade preferences for more than 6,000 African products. The law has "achieved demonstrable results," she said, "but not yet enough."

"We know it has not met its full potential," she said. But she pledged that the United States will work with Africa "to try to make that potential real."

"Market access alone is not sufficient," she said, because "in too many cases, African countries do not yet have the capacity to meet the needs of the U.S. market."

She called on African countries to make trade a greater priority in their development strategy and further open up and streamline regional trade.

On development, Clinton said the Obama administration intends to build the kinds of partnerships that will integrate assistance as a "core pillar" of U.S. foreign policy. The administration is "on a path to double foreign assistance by 2014," she said. However, the money will be spent differently, with emphasis on delivery of long-term results, she said.

"Development assistance linked to trade policy, will, we believe, fuel dynamic, market-led growth rather than perpetuate dependency," she said.

Clinton announced that efforts will take place in September, on the margins of the U.N. General Assembly meeting, to advance the global partnership for agriculture and food security.

On governance, Clinton said true economic progress depends not only on the hard work of millions of people, but also on "responsible governments that reject corruption, enforce the rule of law and deliver results to their people. It is not just about good governance. It is about good business."

"Democracy does deliver," she said, noting that a key ingredient of democracy is transparency. "A famous judge in my country once said that sunlight is the best disinfectant, and there is a lot of sunlight in Africa."

Clinton praised the many African governments that have embraced transparency by participating in the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative. She called on both citizens and governments to work together to build and sustain strong democratic institutions such as an independent judiciary, a free press and a dedicated and professional civil service.

"Progress depends on good governance and adherence to the rule of law. That is critical to creating positive, predictable investment climates and inclusive economic growth," she added.

She said the United States is still working, after 230 years, to improve its democracy.

On women, Clinton said the social, political and economic marginalization of women across Africa has left a void that "undermines progress and prosperity every day."

Women are doing the work of the whole continent, she said, "gathering firewood, washing clothes, preparing meals, raising children, in the fields planting and harvesting -- and when given the opportunity to economic empowerment: transforming communities and local economies."

She called on all Africans to ensure that the rights of women are respected and protected and that women have the opportunity to help drive social and economic progress. That, she said, is a "moral imperative."

Women and men across the continent are "taking responsibility" and wanting partners, she said.

"They want partners with their governments ... the private sector ...with countries like my own. There is no reason to wait. The ingredients are all here for an extraordinary explosion of growth, prosperity and progress."

After Clinton's speech, President Obama conveyed his best wishes to the Eighth AGOA Forum via video, saying AGOA has transformed the U.S.-Africa trade relationship.

Also speaking at the opening ministerial were Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki and Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga.