Speeches Shim
Last updated: August 10, 2021
So often when we in the West speak about Africa, we talk about it’s great potential—about what awaits the continent tomorrow. And when we talk about that future, we speak about you—about the nearly 800 million young people who make up the vast majority of Africa’s population and will ensure it is the world’s youngest continent for decades to come. But one last thing I want to stress to all of you: You are not Africa’s future. You are Africa’s present. When we invest in you, we are not investing in some brighter tomorrow, we are investing in leaders who are shaping Africa’s trajectory today.
Thank you so much. Thanks to all of you for coming out. Thank you Chargé, thanks also to Mervyn Farroe who runs the USAID Mission here. I’ve been really impressed in my time on the ground, at the energy and dedication, and deep feeling that the U.S. officials here who are part of the team have for this country, the Sudanese people, and this transition. I appreciate also, Brian, the comment you make about immigrants; we get the job done, as they say in Hamilton, the musical, but I just want to say how America has also benefited so much from the Sudanese Americans who have come over the years -- but also how heartening it is to see so many coming back to make their contribution back in the country that they have missed so much over the decades.
Today in Khartoum, Administrator Samantha Power announced $4.3 million in additional election-related assistance for Sudan as the country continues its transition toward civilian-led democratic rule following the 2019 citizen revolution that overthrew the nearly 30-year dictatorship of former President Omar al-Bashir.
Today in Khartoum, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Samantha Power announced more than $56 million in additional humanitarian assistance for Sudan. This funding will help the Sudanese people cope with conflict, food insecurity, economic crisis, and cycles of drought and flooding, the effects of which have been compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic.
So, please, young people of Sudan—before you grow discouraged by the pace of change, remember what you have done. Remember how you showed the world that you could make the seemingly impossible, possible. And try to draw inspiration for what you can still do to secure a peaceful, democratic, civilian-led future for your people and your country.
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