US President Barack Obama has paid tribute to former South African President Nelson Mandela in a meeting with four African leaders at the White House. Obama, despite having Kenyan roots, has been accused of being disengaged from the African continent during his first term. But this White House meeting is seen as a sign of much more significant engagement as he met the visiting Presidents of Sierra Leone, Senegal, Malawi and the Prime Minister of Cape Verde. 

The leaders began their day at the Pentagon, discussing Africa's key security challenges. US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel emphasized his desire to support African-led security solutions, a point underlined later at the White House.

US President Barack Obama has paid tribute to former South African President Nelson Mandela in a meeting with four African leaders at the White House.

Barack Obama, US President, said, "You've seen terrorism infiltrate into the region. We've seen drug cartels that are using West Africa in particular as a transit point. All of this undermines some of the progress that's been made, and so the United States will continue to cooperate with each of these countries to try to find smart solutions so that they can build additional capacity and make sure that these cancers don't grow in their region."

The US President focused on encouraging good governance across sub-Saharan Africa and praised improvements being made by the leaders of these four African nations.

"My main message to each of these leaders is that the United States is going to be a strong partner, not based on the old model in which we are a donor and they are simply a recipient, but a new model that's based on partnership and recognizing that no continent has greater potential or greater upside than the continent of Africa if they in fact have the kind of strong leadership that these four individuals represent." Obama said.

And with news that former South African President Nelson Mandela is again in hospital, though "responding positively" to treatment for a persistent lung infection, President Obama held him up as an exemplary leader.

"But we all recognize that he has given everything to his people, the people of South Africa, and to the people of the continent, and he's ended up being an inspiration to all of us. When we think of a single individual that embodies the kind of leadership qualities that we all aspire to, the first name that comes up is Nelson Mandela. And all of us wish him all the very best." Obama said.

Analysts agree that after four years in office the ink on President Obama's Africa stamp is still wet.

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