U.S. President Barack Obama gave a preview of a summit that will convene African leaders next week. He strongly suggested for them to stop making excuses and start exploring proactive solutions.

On Monday, Obama spoke in front of 500 young Africans at the Summit of the Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington.

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He finished the six-week Washington fellowship and told future African leaders it was time to stop the mindset of developed countries that the problem of Africans is a problem of onerous Western debt.

While still a student at the Occidental College in California, Obama rallied and protested the college's involvement with companies doing business in South Africa. It was during this period he realized that the answer to Africa's poverty is to eliminate its dependency.

He told the summit participants to step up and end their countries' dependency on the West and find solutions from within to end their nationss problematic economic situation.

Obama reminded them of their African history and its power, but stressed the importance of being forward-looking. 

"Let's make sure that we're not making excuses for not going forward'," said Obama in the summit.

Economic and political leaders from Africa and that of the U.S. will talk about the continent's development and the United States' role in its partnership and investment next week during the U.S -Africa Leaders Summit also in Washington.

Last month, Equatorial Guinea President Teodoro Obiang Nguema said that the Western's domination of Africa has stunted the continent's progress.

Obama countered that there are African countries that make substantial income and have a lot of natural resources, it's just that the countries do not give back to the villages. They do not build health clinics for the young mothers and schools for the children.

The president will host a U.S.-Africa summit in Washington next week, promoted as the largest convocation of African leaders in America.

TagsObama, Africa