Barack Obama Warns Foundation of Democracy is Fragile in Africa President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, visit Robben Island. Photo: AP US President Barack Obama has warned that Africa can only fulfil its rising potential with leaders who strive to improve the lives of their people, decrying "thugs and warlords" who hold back the promise of the continent. In a strident call for democratic change and good governance, Obama used the political legacy of ailing Nelson Mandela and South Africa's emergence from grim years of apartheid as proof that freedom will ultimately prevail. "History shows us that progress is only possible where governments exist to serve their people and not the other way around," said Obama, which drew loud and prolonged cheers from his audience of more than 1000 people at the University of Cape Town on Sunday. While Africa is "on the move," progress is based on a fragile foundation, Obama said in a speech at Cape Town University. Across Africa, the same institutions that should be the backbone of democracy can all too often be infected with the rot of corruption. The same technology that enables record profits sometimes means widening a canyon of inequality," he said. The speech was delivered from the same spot where American political icon Robert Kennedy delivered his famous "ripple of hope" speech in 1966, which called on students to decry the "racial inequality of apartheid." Obama's goal was to inspire a new generation of Africans with the belief that they could ignite political change and the potential of their continent. He slammed those who "steal or kill or disenfranchise others," saying that the ultimate lesson of South Africa was that such brutal tactics will not work. "So long as parts of Africa continue to be ravaged by war and mayhem, opportunity and democracy cannot take root," said Obama. "Across the continent, there are places where too often fear prevails," Obama said, warning of "senseless terrorism" from Mali to Mogadishu. "From Congo to Sudan, conflicts fester," Obama said, hitting out at those who argue that American calls for democracy and freedom are "intrusive" or "meddling." In too many countries, the actions of thugs and warlords and drug cartels and human traffickers hold back the promise of Africa, enslaving others for their own purposes. America cannot put a stop to these tragedies alone, and you don't expect us to. That is a job for Africans. But we can help and we will help you," he said, announcing major new US programs to boost electricity and health care. Mugabe blast He also condemned the rule of Robert Mugabe in neighbouring Zimbabwe, where he said the "promise of liberation gave way to the corruption of power and the collapse of the economy." Like the rest of Obama's trip to South Africa, the speech was rich in emotion when he mentioned his hero Mandela, who lies critically ill in a Pretoria hospital. "You have shown us how a prisoner can become president," Obama said. South Africa has made massive strides in delivering electricity, housing and water since the fall of apartheid in 1994. But the progress has failed to dent anger over rampant poverty and joblessness, with one in four workers unemployed. Judging by the rousing reception, Obama's words spoke to the frustrations felt by many in the room. The US president - along with the first lady and their two daughters, Malia and Sasha - visited the the prison on Robben Island off Cape Town on Sunday, where Nelson Mandela was incarcerated by the Apartheid regime for 18 out of his 27 years behind bars. He stood alone, looking out the barred window of the small damp cell where Mandela spent two thirds of his 27 years in prison, his darkest days of his detention. After touring the sandy wind-swept island, Obama took a few minutes to write a note in the visitors book. Obama heads to Tanzania on Monday, on the last leg of an African tour in which ailing Nelson Mandela's offstage presence complicated a key US diplomatic push in a rising continent.