President Obama begins African tour in Senegal

President Obama heads to Africa today.

It’s his second trip to the continent since he took office — and his agenda is packed: promoting American business interests and democracy on the continent, and addressing issues like food security.  

The President’s first stop is Senegal. The BBC’s West African correspondent, Thomas Fessy, reports that the U.S.’s relationship with Senegal is one based around aid and “trade is very tiny.” He says the trade that does exist is mostly agriculture, and that the country is a tough place to do business.

One positive sign for future trade, he says, is that “since the new President has been elected, there is a lot of effort to make sure that it is attractive for investment.”