About the Author: Makila James serves as U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Swaziland.

World AIDS Day in Swaziland has a particularly profound meaning, as Swaziland has the highest HIV prevalence rate in the world. The recent PEPFAR-supported Swaziland Health Incidence Measurement Survey (SHIMS) — the first such comprehensive survey of its kind on the impact of key HIV prevention programs — indicates that 31 percent of the adult population is living with HIV. It is a staggering number and one that all persons working in the health field in Swaziland has at the forefront of their minds each and every day as they participate in the national fight against the disease. Without a doubt, achieving an AIDS-free generation represents a serious challenge in the Kingdom of Swaziland, but one that we are committed to addressing with our many partners in the country.

The United States government is working… more »

About the Author: Megan Petersen servers as the PEPAR Coordinator at the U.S. Embassy in Zimbabwe.

As we approach World AIDS Day, which we mark on December 1, I wanted to share a little bit about how we are carrying out the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in Zimbabwe.

Every Tuesday morning, the Zimbabwe PEPFAR team gathers. Our meeting consists of colleagues from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the embassy’s public affairs section, the Global Fund, the Deputy Chief of Mission, and the PEPFAR Coordinator’s office. Our discussions are focused on the state of the world through the lens of HIV/AIDS in Zimbabwe.

I am always impressed every Tuesday by the passion and expertise each of my colleagues brings to the table, the variety of programs we are managing on… more »

About the Author: Mike Hammer serves as Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs.

When asked by a Tanzanian journalist earlier this month about U.S. policy in Africa, Assistant Secretary for African Affairs Johnnie Carson highlighted the President’s Policy Directive for sub-Saharan Africa and said the United States wants “to develop our friendship with Africa based on mutual respect, mutual interest, mutual responsibility. We want to base it on a partnership and not patronage.”

To this end, in just the last few months, journalists from around the continent have joined U.S. policymakers via the Africa Media Hub to discuss a broad array of topics that include trade, investment, security, health, food security, humanitarian aid, and press freedom. Today, Under Secretary for Political Affairs, Wendy Sherman, addressed journalists while in Nairobi… more »

About the Author: Stephanie Grosser serves as a Program Analyst at the U.S. Agency for International Development.

The recent growth of tech start-ups in sub-Saharan Africa is starting to create a buzz.

And what’s not to be excited about? Tech companies created in Africa, by Africans, to address local and global problems have untold potential to change the world. After judging a recent Global Innovations in Science and Technology boot camp in West Africa, venture capitalist Scott Hartley said, “Providing guidance for the top one percent of innovators likely improves the lives of the 99 percent.”

Personal computer usage in Africa is exceptionally low at two percent and Internet penetration is only about 14 percent. However, with indications that tech start-ups, tech… more »

About the Author: Tom Genton is a Senior Advisor in the Bureau of African Affairs, Office of Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs.

It’s a whirlwind of energy inside the Kenyatta International Conference Centre in Nairobi, Kenya. I’m surrounded by innovators, investors, and media from around the world at the first-ever DEMO Africa forum. Over the next few days, more than 40 African innovatorsand technology start-ups will get the chance to unveil their products to the world for the first time. In cooperation with Appfrica International, the U.S. State Department will be announcing the launch of the third annual Apps4Africa contest — Apps4Africa 2012: Business Challenge — which we hope will inspire African innovators to develop mobile, web, and desktop applications… more »

About the Author: Thomas Debass serves as Director for Global Partnerships in the Secretary’s Office of the Global Partnership Initiative.

Last night I arrived in Nairobi, Kenya to attend and participate in the first-ever DEMO Africa event. As the plane was landing, I was struck by how history has a way of turning one on his head. While I was a graduate student in the late 1990s at Virginia Tech, I launched an African-focused web portal start-up with a friends. We had a good business plan, solid team, and the hunger to succeed, but we struggled to gain traction and credibility in an ecosystem that viewed innovation and Africa as an oxymoron. Ultimately, the venture failed but the experience… more »

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton meets with African Court Justices at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., October 23, 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]

About the Author: Tjada McKenna serves as the Deputy Coordinator for Development for Feed the Future, and Jonathan Shrier serves as the Acting Special Representative for Global Food Security and as the Deputy Coordinator for Diplomacy for Feed the Future.

In May 2012, we answered a few of the most common questions about the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition in the blog post Five Questions about the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition. This blog post follows with additional answers to other common questions about the New Alliance and progress.

1. What has happened with the New Alliance since the G8 announced it at the Camp David Summit in May 2012?

While it has only been a few months, we’re excited about the progress and momentum of the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition, which is a unique partnership…more »

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton delivers remarks on the Sahel at the United Nations in New York, New York on September 26, 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]