President Clinton kicked off a six-nation tour of Africa in Ghana today with a speech extolling the benefits of democracy, trade and justice — and a side-swipe at military rule in Nigeria.

In a speech peppered with references to prominent Africans and African-Americans such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Clinton urged the crowd of some 250,000 gathered in Accra’s Independence Square to work for a brighter future.

Clinton, whose 12-day trip is the most extensive to Africa by a sitting U.S. president, will also visit Uganda, Rwanda, South Africa, Botswana and the former French colony of Senegal.

The trip is due in no small measure to the growing influence on U.S. foreign policy of African-American political leadership, including the Reverend Jesse Jackson who is presently the Special Envoy of the President and the Secretary of State for the Promotion of Democracy in Africa.

Tape:

• Rev. Jesse Jackson, the Special Envoy of the President and the Secretary of State for the Promotion of Democracy in Africa. He spoke at the United Nations last week.

Related links:

• White House site on Africa Visit