[by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]¸ü¶àÌýÁ¦Çë·ÃÎÊ51VOA.COM [00:00.40]There may be conflicts, poverty and disease in Africa, [00:06.72]but the president of the United States says the direction of the continent is unmistakable. [00:15.82]President Barack Obama told business leaders this week that "Africa is on the move." [00:25.33]He spoke at a meeting of the U.S.-Africa Business Forum in New York City. [00:33.54]Obama said the African continent is "home to some of the fastest-growing economies in the world [00:44.56]and ... powered by the youngest population anywhere on the planet." [00:52.24]"[Africa has] a middle class projected to grow to more than a billion customers," he added. [01:03.55]Obama told the meeting that everywhere he travels in Africa, [01:10.28]"from Senegal to South Africa, Africans insist they do not just want aid, they want trade. [01:21.80]They want partners, not patrons." [01:26.80]To help American businesses and investment, [01:31.76]the U.S. government has become more active in Africa. [01:37.14]Since 2008, the Department of Commerce has opened offices in Angola, [01:46.28]Ethiopia, Mozambique and Tanzania. [01:51.67]The department also has an expanded presence in Ghana [01:58.38]and re-established a presence at the African Development Bank. [02:05.09]Two well-known Americans led the U.S.-Africa Business Forum meeting: [02:12.62]Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. [02:21.23]The event was designed to help investors and business people [02:28.07]from Africa and North America get acquainted with each other. [02:34.52]As Obama explained: "All of you should be wanting to make money [02:41.66]and create great products and great services, [02:46.47]and be profitable, and do right by your investors. [02:52.28]But the good news is, in Africa right now, [02:58.00]if you are doing well, you can also be doing a lot of good." [03:05.15]One of the young people he spoke about is Frances Udukwu from Nigeria. [03:13.05]She is currently serving as Miss Africa USA. [03:20.03]Frances Udukwu is only 26 years old, [03:25.35]but she recently launched a non-profit organization, called the Lead Girl Foundation. [03:35.11]Its goal is to help girls and young women make a life for themselves [03:42.98]through business and occupational training. [03:47.08]She said, "My personal favorite [thing] is being able to touch the lives [03:54.68]of many young girls and women across not only Africa, but in the (United) States as well." [04:04.79]Udukwu lives in Washington, D.C., but travels to Nigeria often. [04:13.03]She attended Temple University in Philadelphia and studied public health. [04:21.16]She plans to go to law school. [04:25.56]I'm Marsha James.