Africa rides on hope and progress to sweep away old negative stereotypes

My trip across Africa last summer offered me an opportunity to meet with leaders and citizens from all walks of life.

And for me, that visit was a really important turning point, because coming as it did on the heels of President Obama’s very important speech in Ghana, it was a reaffirmation of the US commitment to appreciate Africa even more fully in its promise and its potential for the future.

In Kenya, I met researchers developing seeds and agricultural techniques that could feed millions of hungry people.

In South Africa, I visited a group of women who had been homeless when I first met them years before, but have now built a thriving community where there was once only a dusty patch of land for squatters.

And in Liberia, I saw one-time adversaries sitting side-by-side in the parliament of a unified nation, working together for a better future.

In place after place, the hope and progress that I saw are, every day, sweeping away old stereotypes and offering the world a new view of Africa.

In small villages and sprawling cities across that great and diverse continent, poverty, conflict, and corruption are giving way to opportunity, stability, and democracy.

For example, in the last 10 years, child mortality rates have declined while primary school enrolment has increased.

More people have gained access to clean water and fewer have died in violent conflicts.

More than 315 million people began using mobile phones.

And every day, 21st century technology is creating new opportunities and unlocking untapped potential.

Even after the global financial crisis, Africa’s economy is expected to grow at a rate of 4.5 per cent next year, faster than Latin America’s, Central Asia’s, Europe’s, or the United States.

All of these numbers tell the story of a continent on the rise.

Now, this progress is the result of the hard work, talent, and determination by people and governments across Africa.

Last year alone, two-thirds of sub-Saharan African nations implemented reforms to improve their business climates.