Africannews

Africa appears to be the potential bride being courted by suitors from across the world.

Each is keen to sweeten the deal, but there seems to be an acceptance that these days, insisting on an exclusive relationship with African countries may no longer be tenable.

Washington is fighting for attention with Beijing, and to some extent, Moscow, and the just-concluded US-Africa Leaders Summit is the latest example of this struggle.

In recent years, China has stolen a march on the US. Its trade with Africa now surpasses the amount that the US, or other Western nations, do with the continent.

The previous US administration of President Donald Trump had been explicit in its assessment of China’s relationship with Africa.

It centred its Africa policy around countering what it saw as a “predatory” China when it was unveiled by the former National Security Advisor John Bolton. He also talked about not wanting to waste “hard-earned taxpayer dollars”.

But this week’s rhetoric from the White House showed a different approach.

First of all, the word “China” did not pass President Joe Biden’s lips in his main address to the African leaders on Wednesday.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken had given some hint to this approach when, during his first visit to the continent he said: “Our Africa policy is about Africa, not China.”

Nevertheless, there is no doubt about the rivalry and the US made clear its intention to promote and expand its interests in health, environment, clean energy and security as well as trade.

Discussions at the summit have focussed on building on already existing programmes, including:

Prosper Africa – a US government initiative “to increase two-way trade” between African nations and the US launched in 2018
the Clinton-era Africa Growth and Opportunity Act, Agoa, which provides African apparel manufacturers preferential access to the US market
the Power Africa initiative launched by President Obama to connect millions of Africans to the grid among others.
But the successes in those programmes have been slow to be realised.

Africa only accounts for just over 1% of US foreign trade, which is dominated by petroleum imports from Nigeria and Angola.

Mr Blinken described the possibilities that closer cooperation could bring.

“Together as the world’s largest economy and one of the world’s fastest-growing economic regions,” there is potential “to build one of the 21st Century’s most successful economic partnerships”.

To help this he announced his country’s intention to send an investment advisor to the secretariat of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area, which was created by the African Union to break down barriers to trade and promote growth within the continent.

The US is no doubt eyeing economic opportunities.

Apart from the fast-growing economies, Africa is also home to the world’s youngest and fastest-growing population. It means the consumer market is expanding rapidly as is the labour force – both aspects making doing business with the continent attractive.

But it also potentially presents security challenges.

If the economies do not grow, then young people are more likely to make risky journeys to find a better life elsewhere. In addition, a disgruntled population can be fodder for extremism.

This has partly fuelled the current violence in both the Horn of Africa and the Sahel region of West Africa.

The US is involved in countering it in both regions, working alongside host countries.

But the entry of the Russian Wagner Group and the dalliance of several African governments with it has strained those countries’ relationships with the US specifically and the West more generally.

More than a dozen African countries also enjoy friendly relations with the Russian government. At least 17 abstained from a UN vote to condemn the war in Ukraine.

Many cite neutrality as a reason for their position. The US has however been urging them that this is not the time to be neutral.

At the summit, however, there was hardly any mention of it.

The softer tone in relations between the US and Africa has been noticeable.

But it does not necessarily mean the US is abandoning its engagement to the principles of democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

China and Russia do not attach the same conditions and thus will often have a more attractive offer for some African leaders who are reluctant to have their governance issues come under scrutiny.

Now that the US has renewed its case, African leaders must decide whether to commit to the relationship and how they will best look after their interests.

News from BBC

The United States (US) government to invest $1 billion in education and youth programming in Africa within the next two years, US Vice President Kamala Harris, has announced.

The funds, she said, would allow the country to further its partnership with African academic institutions and the private sector on education and research in science, technology, engineering, and math.

Addressing Africa and Diaspora Youth Forum at the ongoing US Africa Leaders Summit in Washington DC on Tuesday, she said the investment would also expand the US signature programme for African youth, the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI).

Ms Harris, subsequently, launched the next phase of YALI: a new investment of $100 million to expand networking for YALI alumni and connect them with social impact and business investors.

The three-day summit, the second since its inception in 2014, has convened 49 African leaders, the African Union Commission Chair, business people, civil society organisations and African and diaspora youth leaders with the aim of solidifying the bond between the US and Africa.

The forum attended by President Akufo-Addo was on the theme “Amplifying Voices; building partnerships that Last”.

Each year, YALI fellows are funded to travel to colleges and universities in the US for six weeks to study either business, civic engagement, or public management while YALI Regional Leadership Centers have been created to provide a similar experience at higher education institutions in Ghana, Kenya, Senegal, and South Africa.

Currently, more than 640,000 young Africans participate in the YALI network.

To create more funding opportunities for innovative African youth, Ms Harris said, the US Export-Import Bank would this week sign a new memorandum of understanding with entities in Sub-Saharan Africa to provide more than $1 billion to finance American commercial investment in Africa.

“This, we know and believe, will create jobs and opportunities in various sectors, and in particular, the renewable energy sector, in agriculture, water and sanitation, and infrastructure,” she said.

In addition, Ms Harris said, the African Women’s Trade and Investment Initiative, a new programme would be launched to help women across Africa participate in e-commerce, and access financing and export markets given that lifting up the economic status of women, inure to the benefit of all society.

She said the African Women Entrepreneurship Programme would also be relaunched to provide micro-financing to women to support their ambitions and their aspirations.

She said young people were being supported because they were the lifeline to both the continent and the country.

“Just consider, 60 per cent of the population of Africa is under the age of 25. That is nearly 850 million young people on the continent. And by 2050, that figure will grow to 1.2 billion people — 1.2 billion young people.

“This represents an enormous potential for the world in terms of economic growth and social and political progress. So let us work together to foster the spark of creativity and ingenuity in Africa’s young leaders” he said.

On his part, President Akufo-Addo called on the African diaspora to help develop the continent and spur the socioeconomic growth of its people.