President Obama Holds a Town Hall meeting in Africa

Video of Town Hall Meeting at the University of Johannesburg Soweto campus in Johannesburg, South Africa

President Barack Obama answers questions at a Young African Leaders Initiative Town Hall at the University of Johannesburg Soweto campus in Johannesburg, South Africa, June 29, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

President Barack Obama greets audience members during a Young African Leaders Initiative Town Hall at the University of Johannesburg Soweto campus in Johannesburg, South Africa, June 29, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

At the start of the town hall, President Obama announced a significant expansion of this initiative - a new program called the Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders. This new program provides thousands of promising young Africans the opportunity to come to the United States in order to develop skills at public and private American colleges and universities. President Obama described the programs focused:

We’ll focus on civic leadership and public administration and business and entrepreneurship, the skills you need to serve your communities and start and grow businesses and run effective ministries. And you’ll interact with Americans from all walks of life, because our citizens -- especially our young people -- can learn from you, too. You’ll meet with leaders in business and nonprofits and government, including me. And I look forward to welcoming you at a summit that I’ll host in Washington, because I want to hear directly from you -- your hopes, your dreams, what we can achieve together.

Other town hall participants included young people from Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda who connected by satellite.

President Barack Obama answers questions at a Young African Leaders Initiative Town Hall at the University of Johannesburg Soweto campus in Johannesburg, South Africa, June 29, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)