It was said loud and clear on that bright and colorful, chilly morning of 20^th January, 2009 in Washington, "Barack Obama is the 44th President of USA."
It was a joyful moment, full of jubilation as I sat for more than 10 hours to watch the Inauguration of Barack Obama as 44th President of the United States.

I joined America and the rest of the world while history was being made. First African-American President....Surely it was a dream come true. The "Black Man" had waited for years to see this day when people are judged by their character and not the color of their skin. The American Dream as stated by Martin Luther King had finally come true after a wait of more than 146 years of American History. No wonder an old English saying goes, "Patience pains but pays." The Dreamers had waited patiently and it had finally paid off. Though many of them like Obama's Granny were not alive to see this day.

Being an African I shed tears of joy as I watched Barack Obama enter into the white house as President. America, one of the world's biggest democracies had spoken loud and clear. Broken all the racial barriers that existed and…. Change, Yes We Can.
Obama's Inauguration speech said it all, "this is not the end, it is just the beginning, we have many challenges ahead of us, but together we are going to change America. The climb is going to be steep but if we go together we shall achieve our dreams. The challenges the US is facing are real, they are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America - they will be met."

The One million dollar question is; What does Obama's Presidency mean to me as an African Student and to the rest of the World?

To begin with His rise to the White House never ceases to amaze me, when he said he was going to stand for Presidency....I took it for a joke and honestly doubted his capacity with the experienced people around him like Senator McCain, Hilary Clinton. But through hard work and determination he made it through the preliminaries and now he is President. This has taught me that whenever I have got something to do; I have to do it with determination and untiring efforts because ultimately I will make it to the top. Obama just did, why not me?

Obama's election has ushered in winds of change into America. It has brought together the Americans in spite of Race or color towards a common cause - Change. The Americans have realized that whatever skin one may have we are all brothers. This is going to go way ahead in strengthening relationships and breaking the racial barriers. It has taught me that no matter one's race, or color of the skin, we are all brothers and sisters. Black man, White man, Red Indian, name it, we have the same color of blood and can contribute much to the alleviation of human suffering and give a brighter day to each other's lives. Well…if you were still looking at a man with a dark skin and under estimating his potential, its time you thought twice. He has a lot of potential to be the best.

President Obama talked about the most important issue of the on going economic crisis. "The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act - not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together". America needs more jobs, strengthening the economy to mention but a few. This got me thinking, what does he have in store for many of the poor African countries? "To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds."
In Barack Obama I see a man from a humble beginning, a not so rich background; who knows what it means to raise a family on a few pennies saved especially given his African background. I see a President who is going to go all the way to support the initiatives of alleviating poverty in Africa. Don’t get me wrong, not because he is African but because he has the spirit of brotherhood within him that whatever happens to a brother affects me directly. So I believe he is going to work hand in hand with the African Leaders in their fight against poverty.

Among some other big challenges that Obama faces are the prolonged on going wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Israel-Palestine Issue, Escalating relations between India and Pakistan etc. Obama reiterated his commitment of leaving Iraq "we will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan."
His predecessor George Bush had ventured into a very ambitious foreign policy by taking American supremacy to the extremes. However things didn’t work well. Now it is time for the new President to take on hurdles that are not of his own making but a pledge to the American people and the world for a better day. He started on a strong note with the suspension of the Guatanamo bay hearings for the next 120 days. A sign that he wants a better foreign policy built on trust and stable relationships. Africa as a continent that has witnessed the atrocities of many civil wars will be looking up to him with a keen eye to see how he is going to help in trying to resolve some of the continent's longest civil wars and ensure that justice prevails. More so It is upon him to show some of the African leaders the blessings that come with democracy and allowing people to exercise their rights.

America is considered to be one of the nations with the best education system but many think a lot is missing in action. That is why President Obama is focusing on uplifting the education standards of the country. "And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do," Obama affirmed.

With this in mind am looking at Him as a President who is going to get some of my brothers in Africa from studying under trees into state of the art class rooms. His support for African Education will help avail a more conducive study environment and provision of the basic educational material as a way of alleviating illiteracy on this beautiful continent and bringing in self dependence.

The world is at the moment facing many Health care problems. President Obama pledged to improve the health care systems of the US. AIDS is a hot topic as researchers try to find a cure to it. Malaria is killing thousands every day, Cholera is a common song, trust me the list is endless. As an African I see in Obama a President who is going to fight tooth and nail to see that Africa gets the best health care facilities. His words emphasize this thought "We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost.”

Global warming has caused mother earth to cry out with a loud voice. America being one of the greatest emitters of green house gases has a lot to do in conserving the environment. President Obama said, “We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories.” This brings in a sense of urgency to preserve mother earth for future generations. Africa is a continent endowed with numerous flora and fauna which you will not find any where else in the world. Take for example Uganda- the pearl of Africa which has the source of the Nile river that feeds almost the whole of East and Northern Africa all the way to the Mediterranean. In Obama I perceive a President who will fight tooth and nail to conserve such bequests.

To the ladies, the US Elections all the way to the inauguration of Obama as President have brought out strong and mighty women. We saw Senator Hilary Clinton, Governor Sarah Palin, to mention but a few. The greatest inspiration though is the First Lady Michelle Obama, she is the making of a true mum, stylish, humble, approachable, loving, independent, and brilliant, and her qualities are infinite. To many of the African ladies she is a true model, a live example of a mother from a simple but yet honest back ground. She has a big part to play in ensuring that the rights of women (Women Emancipation) are uplifted not only in America but the whole world. Mothers build a nation and she has a great task of building this mighty nation. She is going to be an inspiration for all upcoming women to stand up for what they believe and not let anyone under look them for the mere fact that they are women. My sister back home, its time you rose up…mighty ladies are in the house.

Obama is president today, but the challenges and expectations from the Americans and the rest of the world are many. He knows that the journey is going to be long and rough at times but he is firm. "Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends - hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism - these things are old. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task."

History has been written. Generations will always cherish this memorable day. And the one belief we all have is that President Obama has brought change to America and to the world. Change is a fact of life and in the same way the Americans embraced it, it is upon all of us to adapt to the changing environment for a better tomorrow. After all the inauguration balls, all parties he is back into business to tackle the many challenges ahead. However we should all keep it in mind. “Change Yes We Can.” Long live President Obama.