The leaders of Ghana, Mali, and Senegal, whose democratic and economic reforms have earned kudos from Washington, were set to hold talks at the White House Thursday with US President George W. Bush.

Bush's meeting with presidents Alpha Oumar Konare of Mali, Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal and John Kufuor of Ghana will focus on security and political issues in west Africa, where fighting in three other countries in the region has created a humanitarian crisis of epic proportions.

The US president "hopes to discuss with them issues affecting west Africa, in particular those involving political stability and security in the region", said a statement from the US embassy in Dakar.

Both Liberia and Guinea face brutal insurgencies along their common border, and Sierra Leone has been wracked by civil war for a decade.

The encounter will also reflect attempts by Bush to carve out fresh policies towards Africa after much speculation that the president lacked interest in, or knowledge of, the continent compared to his predecessor Bill Clinton.

In October, Bush will host the first ever US-African economic summit in Washington, as further evidence of the US commitment to the continent.

At the top of the agenda in October will be discussions on the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act, which promotes free trade between US and African states and remains the cornerstone of Washington's relations with the continent.

Military cooperation in the form of US training of armies from democratic African states has also emerged as an important policy issue, as Washington continues to favour training African troops instead of sending US soldiers into African conflicts.

On Thursday, US officials in Dakar will invite journalists to the Thies military camp, where special US forces have been training Senegalese troops for the UN peacekeeping mission in Sierra Leone.

US forces are also conducting training in Ghana and in Mali, as part of Washington's African Crisis Response Inititive (ACRI).

Washington also seems keen to support home-grown African troubleshooters such as Konare and economic reformers such Wade, who dismantled four decades of socialist rule in Senegal by clinching presidential elections last year and legislative polls in April.

During a visit to Mali last month, US Secretary of State Colin Powell said he was impressed with Konare's passion in "trying to resolve conflicts and spread democracy."

On Thursday Wade is expected to expand on his Omega economic recovery plan, which calls for massive investment in Africa to promote education and build roads, airports, and communications. Mbeki this week said he will hold talks with Wade next month on merging the MAP and the Omega scheme.

On Wednesday, Konare and Kufuor, along with representatives from Mozambique and Uganda, are expected to hold a press conference at the US State Department on fighting hunger in Africa.