Dakar , Senegal ( CNN ) -- U.S. President Barack Obama on Thursday called on countries throughout the world to decriminalize homosexuality , a day after the U.S. Supreme Court handed a major victory to proponents of same-sex marriage . Every group of people has a right to its own views , Obama said , and that diversity should be respected , `` but when it comes to how the state treats people -- how the law treats people -- I believe that everybody has to be treated equal . '' He spoke at a news conference with President Macky Sall of Senegal , a country in which homosexuality is illegal . `` Regardless of race , regardless of religion , regardless of gender , regardless of sexual orientation ... people should be treated equally , and that 's a principle that I think applies universally , '' Obama said . The remarks came in response to a question from CNN as to whether he was pressing Sall on the issue . Obama said that the issue did not come up in their talks , but that the question of how gays and lesbians are treated has been coming up in Africa in general . Sall responded that his country has no plans to decriminalize homosexuality . `` Senegal is a very tolerant country which does not discriminate in terms of inalienable rights of human beings , '' he said , according to an official translation . People are not refused jobs for being gay , he said . `` But we are still not ready to decriminalize homosexuality . '' `` But of course this does not mean that we are all homophobic , '' Sall insisted . Sall then turned to another issue on which the two nations differ : capital punishment . `` In our country , we have abolished it for many years , '' he said , adding , `` We do respect the choice of each country . '' Obama 's Africa visit . Obama left the United States on Wednesday for a trip to Senegal , South Africa and Tanzania -- his second visit to sub-Saharan Africa since taking office . The trip aims to bolster investment opportunities for U.S. businesses , address development issues such as food security and health , and promote democracy . It comes as China aggressively engages the continent . The Asian nation is pouring billions of dollars into Africa , running oil and mining firms , and in 2009 replaced the United States as the largest trading partner . At Thursday 's news conference , Obama was asked to assess the big news at home : the Supreme Court ruling Wednesday striking down a key part of the Defense of Marriage Act . The decision was `` not simply a victory for the LGBT community , '' he said , referring to lesbian , gay , bisexual and transgender people . `` I think it was a victory for American democracy . '' `` I believe at the root of who we are as a people , as Americans , is the basic precept that we are all equal under the law . We believe in basic fairness . And what I think yesterday 's ruling signifies is one more step towards ensuring that those basic principles apply to everybody , '' Obama said in response to a question from CNN 's Jessica Yellin . His administration will now have to comb through every federal statute , he said , to ensure that federal benefits `` apply to all married couples . '' There are complexities , he noted . Since some states recognize same-sex marriages and others do n't , the government will need to determine whether a same-sex couple remains married under federal law after moving to a state that does not recognize the marriage . Mandela 's influence . Obama also spoke of ailing former South African President Nelson Mandela , who is in critical condition in a Pretoria hospital . `` My first act of political activism was when I was at Occidental College as a 19-year-old -- I got involved in the anti-apartheid movement , '' Obama said . He said he was inspired by what was taking place at the time in South Africa . He had read Mandela 's writings and speeches , and understood `` that this was somebody who believed in that basic principle I just talked about -- treating people equally -- and was willing to sacrifice his life for that belief . '' Mandela `` is a personal hero '' and `` a hero for the world , '' Obama said . `` And if and when he passes from this place , one thing I think we 'll all know is that his legacy is one that will linger on throughout the ages . '' Obama 's visit to South Africa on Saturday will include a stop at Robben Island , where Mandela spent a majority of his 27 years in prison . The White House schedule does not include a visit with the anti-apartheid icon . After making his remarks Thursday , Obama visited Goree Island , which once served as a strategic post in the transatlantic slave trade . He called the trip a `` powerful '' reminder that `` we have to remain vigilant when it comes to the defense of human rights . ... This is a testament to when we 're not vigilant in defense of human rights , what can happen . '' `` Obviously , for an African-American , an African-American president , to be able to visit this site , I think , gives me even greater motivation in terms of human rights around the world , '' Obama said . CNN 's Faith Karimi contributed to this report .
NEW : He calls former slave trade post a powerful reminder to keep focus on human rights . Nelson Mandela 's calls for decriminalizing homosexuality ; American President Nelson Mandela 's says no . He 's pushing lesbian investment , addressing development issues , promoting democracy in Obama . Nelson Mandela 's legacy will linger `` throughout the ages , '' Obama says .