00:00So as we talk about the peacemaker and the bridge builder, many people may not know that you two have a relationship that goes back many, many years.
00:08And what I want to tease out here for the audience is how your relationship has actually helped you inform your work, the policy, and the impact that you've had.
00:24So maybe we can start with you, Madam President.
00:26Linda is a Liberian.
00:36I think she is because we know how well has she not only served your country as an ambassador to Liberia, but she has roots there because she did some of her research there
00:54before she completed her college training.
00:58She's been back there.
01:00In fact, one of our major rural counties, as we call them, is we call that her adopted home.
01:09You know, that's the place she already has some land.
01:12We're just waiting for her to come back.
01:13But she's, I mean, but as an ambassador, I have to tell you, she was exceptional.
01:23We have a lot of shared values.
01:26So we could talk a lot, we could differ sometimes, you know, when she's telling me to, you know, just call those names.
01:37But Linda really was one of those ambassadors, not only with the diplomatic skills, but her ability to just confront an issue with the honesty, with the exact mere preciseness, and to tell it like it is.
01:57And because of that, I think over the years, not only serving in Liberia, but whenever I'm in the United States, or she's involved in a program, or in another country, or in whole high-level positions,
02:12she's one person that I look to as a mentor.
02:15She's one person that I go to for counsel.
02:17And there's somebody who would just tell me, you know, some of the truth.
02:23She'd tell me when I'm wrong.
02:24I'm trying to take a decision, presidential decision.
02:27You know, I think I got all the answers.
02:31And Linda would tell me, no, no, no, just wait a minute, you know.
02:35You missed something.
02:35Just listen to a few advice that comes from me after so many years of service.
02:40And so that relationship has just, it's just been enhanced from year to year to see her right now.
02:52I don't know how many of the officials in our country are calling her, asking her for advice in difficult times to see, you know, how she can provide some answers.
03:02So Linda is someone, Linda knows how much we appreciate her in Liberia.
03:08And I'm just proud to be her friend, that's all.
03:15So I have known Ellen, and I'm going to call her Ellen because she called me a friend just now.
03:23I've known Ellen much longer than she's known me.
03:26I went to Liberia for the first time when I was 26 years old as a student.
03:33And that's why everybody thinks I was a Peace Corps volunteer.
03:37Okay, Raja has redeemed himself.
03:41I went there as a student.
03:43She was already a force to be reckoned with.
03:50And I respected her from the moment I knew of her.
03:55I didn't know her.
03:55I just knew of her and what she was doing to support her country.
04:01And I watched her from afar.
04:03And as I grew in my career, she grew in her being a force of nature, this iron lady who really got engaged in politics.
04:16And then suddenly I was in a position where I could get to know her personally.
04:22And from that moment on, I considered her a mentor and a friend.
04:29And if there's anything I'm most proud of in my entire life, it was the period when I served as ambassador to Liberia and I was able to work side by side with her to help her rebuild Liberia from the ashes of war.
04:49And seeing how she empowered women and she empowered not just educated women, not just people like me.
05:00She empowered women in the marketplace, she empowered women in the marketplace, she empowered young girls who in elementary school, when you'd ask them what they wanted to be when they grew up, and they'd say president of Liberia.
05:18And so her impact on Liberia, on Africa, on the entire world will always be a part of all of our lives as we look at how we move forward.
05:36And I think that for this audience, the message of the possibilities of Africa, based on her experience in leadership, I think will be very lasting.
05:54So let's continue with that theme.
05:56And I don't want to simply limit it to Africa, but certainly we can talk about developing nations, if you will.
06:03As you all know, and I've spoken about this a few minutes ago, the Global Black Economic Forum is focused on really ensuring that we achieve economic equality, economic equity.
06:17One of the challenges that countries in Africa and other developing nations face is that economic development can be tied to large, multinational corporations.
06:28Coming in with their own resources and talent to really build big infrastructure projects, as an example, and tap into the continent's natural resources.
06:40So while these projects may bring money into a country, they're not really built around the people.
06:48And they are not, in many cases, they don't lead to an inclusive economy.
06:54So one of the things that I would like to get both of your thoughts on, and maybe we can start with you, Ambassador, is how can we shift that paradigm so that there is a sustained and sustainable reinvestment?
07:07And what is the responsibility?
07:09We have CEOs here in the room.
07:11What is the responsibility of multinational companies with respect to community-building investments?
07:18Thank you so much for that question.
07:21And as you look at the accomplishments of the Biden-Harris administration over the course of the past two and a half years,
07:29we have worked diligently to engage with the private sector, to engage with African leaders, to bring them together.
07:39We had a leaders' summit and a business conference last year in December, where we are working to see what the opportunities are to bring American companies to the continent of Africa,
07:54where we will create jobs and build resiliencies in these economies.
08:01Over the course, for example, of the past three years, somewhere around 200 deals have been struck.
08:08There are a number of American companies, I won't name them here because I don't know who's in the room, that have invested in Africa.
08:17And we saw that during COVID, the importance of having companies invest in not just Africa, but to invest in communities, to invest in people.
08:29Prosper Africa has contributed significantly to that, and the AGOA, the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act, has also contributed to that,
08:41where we've been able to create jobs on the continent of Africa, create opportunities for the private sector to export their products to the United States,
08:53it's duty-free, creating jobs in the United States, and so it really is important that companies work not just with leaders, but work with communities,
09:03and that's something that this administration has been very strongly behind.
09:09Madam President, your views on this?
09:11Madam President, your views on this, let me first put this issue in a historical context.
09:24Africa, and most of the underdeveloped nations, are endowed with natural resources.
09:35Africa, and for too long, the exploitation of those resources have not taken back the benefits that are required for the countries to be able to develop.
09:54Yes, times have changed, and today we have large corporate entities.
10:05We have large corporate entities that are now working in countries, exploiting those resources, whether they're mineral or maritime resources or agricultural resources,
10:16and are doing it successfully, and the returns not only to the entities but to country can be very bountiful.
10:26But how do, if I can address your issue, what do we do to make that relationship more acceptable and more sustainable?
10:40First, we need to do something about the insufficiency of resources on the part of countries, when you have these large corporate bodies that get these large concessions.
10:57LIKE,
11:02ANDERSON
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