“President Obama met on Thursday with the leaders of four small countries in sub-Saharan Africa that the White House sees as models for the region,” including “Ernest Bai Koroma, president of Sierra Leone; Macky Sall, president of Senegal; Joyce Banda, president of Malawi; and Jose Maria Pereira Neves, prime minister of Cape Verde,” the Washington Post reports (Goldfarb, 3/28). The leaders discussed “a range of priorities, particularly how to deepen [U.S.] partnership[s] to strengthen democratic institutions and promote economic growth, trade, and investment,” Examiner.com notes (Presta, 3/28).

“President Obama also commended these leaders for their leadership on food security and engaged the leaders in a fruitful conversation about how the United States can help Africa harness the potential of its young people and empower the next generation of African leaders,” the White House Blog states (Harris, 3/28). “And we intend to continue to engage with them through a range of programs — through the Millennium Challenge, through the USAID, through the PEPFAR programs — but we’re also looking for new models that can potentially improve our bilateral relations even more,” the president said, according to a transcript of his remarks available from the White House (3/28). Politico provides video footage of the meeting (3/28).