As President Joe Biden invites dozens of regional leaders for the second US-Africa leaders summit this week in Washington, DC, the US hopes to boost cooperation with African states.
The three-day summit, which begins on Tuesday, will concentrate on key challenges such as the climate crisis, good governance, food security, and global health, as well as expanding US-Africa trade and investment prospects.
“The summit … is rooted in the recognition that Africa is a key geopolitical player. The continent will shape the future not just of the African people, but also the world,” US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters on Monday afternoon.
Sullivan said during a news conference that 49 African heads of state and leaders, as well as the African Union, had been invited to the meeting.
The talks, which are a follow-up to the first such meeting convened by former US President Barack Obama eight years ago, are the largest international gathering in Washington, DC, since before the COVID-19 pandemic began.
After four years of his predecessor Donald Trump’s “America First” foreign policy, Biden has sought to rebuild Washington’s relationships with other countries and re-engage with global organizations such as the United Nations.
During that time, the United States’ role in Africa waned, and Biden administration officials have stressed the significance of strengthening ties with like-minded countries in the region.
“Working closely with Congress, the US will commit $55bn to Africa over the course of the next three years,” Sullivan said on Monday.
China, Russia competition
The summit takes place at a time when China, which the United States regards as its main global competitor, has consistently surpassed Washington in its investments in Africa. Russia is also attempting to garner support around the continent in response to US and ally pressure for the Ukraine war.
Top Biden administration officials, though, played down their growing concerns about China and Russia in the run-up to this week’s meetings. Instead, they have emphasized the importance of including African countries in global discussions.
conversations that concern the global economy, democracy and governance, climate change, health, and security,” White House Adviser Judd Devermont said on December 9.
The Biden administration issued a new policy document for Sub-Saharan Africa in August, highlighting the significance of the region and promising to expand defense cooperation with like-minded governments.
In November, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that Washington will have to change its approach in order to assist Africa with its infrastructure demands. Blinken noted that it was time to stop considering the continent as a geopolitical matter and start recognizing it as an important participant in its own right.
The region needs billions of dollars per year for roads, railways, dams, and power, and it has gotten enormous sums in the previous decade from China, which normally does not bind money to political or rights-related conditions.
According to Washington, Chinese financing is exploitative and can lead to debt traps. It has instead concentrated on supporting private investment, but officials admit that the US must do more to expedite assistance.
As part of this week’s summit, Biden will deliver a keynote address to the US-Africa Business Forum on Wednesday before hosting a dinner for international leaders gathered in Washington.
During the summit, the US president is expected to endorse a permanent seat for the African Union in the Group of 20, a forum for major economies, during the summit. commitment to UN security council reform would be expressed by Biden, ” including support for a permanent member” from Africa, said Sullivan.
“It’s past time for Africa to have permanent seats at the table in international organisations and initiatives,” Sullivan told reporters.
On Thursday, Biden and the other heads of state and leaders will hold talks on promoting food security, after months of supply concerns and disruptions linked to the war in Ukraine. He will also discuss the 2023 elections in Africa and democracy with a small group of leaders, Sullivan said.
“One of the unique aspects of this summit is the collateral damage that the Russian war has inflicted on Africa in terms of food supply and the diversion of development assistance to Ukraine,” John Stremlau, a visiting professor of international relations at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, told The Associated Press news agency.
“The opportunity costs of the invasion have been very high in Africa,” Stremlau said.
‘Great opportunities, some risks’
Meanwhile, local officials in Washington, DC, are warning residents to brace for roadblocks and intensified security as the dozens of invited leaders move around the city for the talks.
The US has invited all African Union members in good standing, meaning Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali and Sudan will not be represented. Attendees must also have full relations with Washington, which excludes Eritrea.
One of the most closely watched leaders expected in Washington will be Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, a one-time US ally whom the Biden administration has accused of backing widespread abuses in the Tigray conflict. A breakthrough deal last month led to a cessation of hostilities.
The presidents of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) will also be in attendance, as Blinken exerts international pressure on Rwanda over its alleged support for rebels seizing control of territory in the neighbouring DRC.
Other presidents due at the summit include Egypt’s Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Tunisia’s Kais Saied, who have both faced criticism for a lack of democratic rights in their countries, as well as Equatorial Guinea’s Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo , who arrives days after the US called his latest election a sham.
The foreign minister of Zimbabwe, under US sanctions, is also expected to attend.
Analysts say that African leaders will be looking for Biden to make some major commitments during the talks, including announcing his first presidential visit to sub-Saharan Africa, as well as efforts to bolster the continent’s economy through private sector investment and trade.
Mvemba Phezo Dizolele, director of the Africa programme at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the US was entering the summit with a “trust deficit” due to the long wait since the last edition in 2014.
“The summit presents great opportunities, but it also poses some risks,” he said.
“This is an opportunity to show Africa that the US really wants to listen to them,” he added. “But now that we have high expectations, the question will be: What will be different now?”
