African leaders at US summit

The first US-Africa Leaders Summit, which opened on Monday in Washington, D.C., aims to boost trade opportunities and forge stronger economic ties between Africa and the US.

Speaking to delegates at the opening of the three-day event, US Secretary of State John Kerry called on African nations to fight corruption and strengthen democracy.

"Democracy is hard work," Kerry said, adding that the US hoped to help Africa build stronger institutions: "Strong civil society and respect for democracy, the rule of law and human rights - these are not just American values, they are universal values."

Land of opportunity

Kerry added that Africa could be "the marketplace of the future" and was currently facing an "amazing opportunity." The International Monetary Fund predicts the continent will see growth of 5.8 percent in 2014. It's also home to an expanding middle class and some of the world's fastest-growing economies.

In 2009, China surpassed the US as Africa's biggest trading partner, and now the US is hoping to do some catching up. Last week, US President Barack Obama said Africa was growing, and that the US needed to understand the imporance of this.

"You've got thriving markets and you've got entrepreneurs and extraordinary talent," Obama said.

The three-day meeting kicked off with a forum on civil society, followed by discussions on women, health, food security and wildlife trafficking. Over the course of the event, African heads of state will also have the opportunity to sit down with US business leaders, and with Obama to discuss investment, security and governance.

Discussions are also expected to focus on current problems facing Africa, including the world's worst Ebola epidemic and the security risks posed by the rise of extremist groups such as Boko Haram and Al-Shabaab.

Not all leaders present

Monday's meeting was the first such gathering of top-level politicians from 50 African countries. But while almost every African nation is represented, the presidents of Sierra Leone and Liberia cancelled their plans to attend, citing Ebola concerns in their respective countries. Liberia's vice president and Sierra Leone's foreign minister led their countries' delegations instead.

Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes, was one of four leaders left off the guest list. Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe, Eritrea's Issaias Afeworki and the Central African Republic's transitional leader Catherine Samba Panza also weren't invited.

nm/msh (dpa, Reuters, AFP, AP)