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WASHINGTON (AP) — Though noting persistent challenges, President Barack Obama heralded Africa as a continent on the rise and a growth market for U.S. businesses as he closed an unprecedented summit Wednesday aimed in part at fostering his own African legacy.

The summit also marked a rare return to Washington for former President George W. Bush, who launched a $15 billion HIV/AIDS initiative while in office and has made public health issues in Africa a priority since leaving the White House. Bush partnered with first lady Michelle Obama to host a daylong event for spouses of the African leaders.

“There’s not many things that convince me to come back to Washington,” said Bush, who now lives in Dallas and steers clear of politics. “The first lady’s summit, of course, is one.”

While Obama has continued Bush’s signature AIDS program, he has also been seeking his own legacy-building Africa initiatives. This week’s U.S.-Africa summit, which brought together leaders from more than 50 African nations, was seen as a cornerstone of that effort and Obama pledged to make the gathering a recurring event.

“Africa must know that they will always have a strong and reliable partner in the United States of America,” Obama said at a news conference marking the end of the three-day summit.

Much of the summit centered on boosting U.S. business ties with Africa, which is home to six of the world’s 10 fastest-growing economies and a rapidly expanding middle class.

Yet the summit’s final day of discussions underscored the challenges that could undermine that economic growth. Health crises remain among Africa’s most pressing problems, including the current outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in West Africa.

Obama acknowledged that the public health systems in affected countries have been overwhelmed by the outbreak and said the U.S. was encouraging them to focus their efforts on rapidly identifying and isolating patients.

The president also pledged to expand security cooperation with African nations in order to address threats from terrorism and human trafficking, alluding to U.S. concerns that extremism in North Africa and the Sahel could destabilize the already volatile region.

“The entire world has a stake in the success of peacekeeping in Africa,” Obama said.

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