The First Two-Year White House Summit on Africa: Planned Strategic Plans for the United States to Improve Security and Cooperation in the Middle East

The gathering, coming nearly two years into Biden’s term, will focus on issues critical to the continent’s future, including climate change, public health and food security. Already, the administration has announced billions of dollars in economic aid and voiced support for a permanent seat at the Group of 20 for a representative from the African Union.

The emphasis was placed on Africa being rich in resources that the US can use to fight climate change and transition to clean energy, something the US has little choice but to do.

On Monday ahead of the summit, the White House announced plans to commit $55 billion in economic, security and health investment in Africa over the next three years, as well as naming a new special envoy to focus on these issues.

A senior administration official told a reporter that the relationship with Africa is not influenced by competition with China. “We’re not asking our partners in Africa to choose. We want to expand African options, not limit them.”

Countering China’s influence around the world is one of Biden’s top foreign policy priorities. But White House officials insist these visits to Africa are more about forming connections rather than countering the influence of other nations.

Jake Sullivan, Mr. Biden’s national security adviser, said the current administration has been working hard to restore ties to Africa over the nearly two years since Mr. Trump left office.

Johnnie Carson, the White House’s chief of staff and a long time foreign service officer, will be appointed as a special representative for Africa.

In the course of his interactions with African leaders, the president unveiled a series of initiatives, including an agreement meant to encourage the formation of a continentwide free-trade zone that has stalled over the last few years. He vowed to help African countries do more to transition to clean energy, unlike China who has prioritised physical infrastructure in Africa.

In numerous briefings, U.S. officials said the administration would seek new trade opportunities and closer cooperation on fighting terrorism and strengthening democracy, but offered few details on what signature aims they were hoping for. Whether any major policy emerges from the summit remains to be seen.

Mr. Biden said that the goal was not to “create political obligation or foster dependence” but to “spur shared success,” a phrase he said characterized his approach. “Because when Africa succeeds, the United States succeeds,” he said. The whole world succeeds as well.

Without mentioning any of that history, Mr. Biden sought to demonstrate affection for the region, celebrating the visiting African leaders and their spouses at a gala dinner at the White House on Wednesday night and honoring Morocco’s success as the first African nation to make the final four in the World Cup.

He joked as he opened his speech just 13 minutes before the game that he was being told to make it short. France defeated morocco 2-0.

The United States is Not Competing with China in Trade and Economic Cooperation with Africa, as Indicated by the Covid-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

The United States has lost ground to China in trade and economic cooperation with Africa and the Biden administration wants to be seen as not competing with China.

On Wednesday night, Biden will host the heads of the delegation and their spouses for a dinner at the White House and then he will have a discussion with Sullivan about food security and food systems resilience in Africa.

The Covid-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine provided Mr. Biden with an entry point for his pitch to Africa’s leaders, reminding them that the United States delivered 231 million vaccines to 49 African countries.

President Biden’s pledge of $55 billion in economic, health, and security aid over three years not only helps counter Russia’s influence but China’s, as well.

Some analysts wondered if the president’s projects would be more effective than the broad initiatives launched by Mr. Bush and Mr. Obama.

“When I hear a laundry list, a long list of investments, that’s just showing what the U.S. is doing,” said Aubrey Hruby of the Africa Center at the Atlantic Council. I don’t know if that will sink in. Whereas with Power Africa it was simpler, perhaps more memorable. It came from the power of the podium.

The digital economy project includes a partnership with Microsoft to teach entrepreneurs to write code. “American big tech recognizes that the demographic future of this world is African,” Ms. Hruby said. A million Africans turn 18 every month. This is the future.

As ever in this week’s summit, China was the unspoken factor. When Mr. Biden announced $800 million in new contracts for Cisco Systems and a smaller company named Cybastion “to protect African countries from cyberthreats,” it offered a counterpoint to the dominance of Huawei, the Chinese technology firm whose cellphones and computers systems are ubiquitous across Africa, stoking fears that Beijing could use them for cyberespionage.

The Biden administration supports a proposal to use minerals mined in the Democratic Republic of Congolese to make batteries for electric vehicles in other countries. That deal meets the African goal of keeping supply chains for one of the world’s hottest new businesses on the continent.

It was met with an American strategic objective and also addresses concerns in the US about China obtaining a hold on rare minerals.

The United States Doesn’t Succeed When Africa Does: A White Paper on the First US-Africa Leaders Summit Session in Washington

He told reporters that any time an administration chooses not to put as much emphasis on a place, it has some ramifications. We think that we are not coming into this summit from a standing start. The summit will kick into higher gear when we come into it with a head of steam around a bunch of issues.

The United States succeeds when Africa succeeds. Biden spoke during his first appearance at the US-Africa leaders summit in Washington, saying that the world succeeds as well.

In his speech, Biden announced billions of dollars in new trade investments and an effort to help expand internet access on the continent, which the President said was necessary to boosting economic growth.

The goal, according to senior administration officials, is to build more robust ties with African nations in the hopes of addressing the significant challenges the continent faces and to cultivate beneficial economic and security partnerships.

There is growing concern in Washington about the growing power of Beijing and Moscow in Africa. Some African nations have been wary of criticizing the invasion, even as they are burdened by its aftereffects, including global food shortages and high energy costs.

“We see Russia continuing to peddle cheap weapons,” US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Tuesday at a summit session. It is also destabilizing when Russia uses mercenaries across the continent.

The US and Africa in the Aftermath of the South African Referendum to the 2016 African High-Energy Summit on Geopolitics and Foreign Policy

“The Summit, just to take a step back, is rooted in the recognition that Africa is a key geopolitical player,” Sullivan said. “The continent will shape the future, not just of the African people, but also the world.”

Editor’s Note: Joyce M. Davis, outreach and opinion editor for PennLive and The Patriot-News, is the president and CEO of the World Affairs Council of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. She is a veteran journalist and author who has lived and worked around the globe, working for National Public Radio, Knight Ridder Newspapers in Washington, DC, and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in Prague. The opinions expressed here are of her own. Read more opinion at CNN.

Despite the constraints of international law and respect for democracy, the US has a few powerful tools to help counter Russian influence in Africa: chief among them – money.

Instead of being treated like a global pariah as the US wants, leaders in South Africa, Eritrea, Angola and Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) treated Lavrov like a cherished friend during his visit.

In South Africa, Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor greeted Lavrov with open arms. She didn’t use the meeting in Pretoria last Monday to repeat calls for Russia to stop killing Ukrainians. She brushed off the criticism and said it would be silly to do so.

Pandor announced South Africa will conduct joint naval drills with Russia and China, calling them exercises with friends. The US and Europe were not amused.

Putin is the best friend any brutal dictator could have. US efforts to exclude Russia and strengthen its own ties in Africa have a major problem with his lack of scruples.

It was a significant portion of the country, though just shy of a majority. Nigeria and Egypt were included in a group of 28 African nations that voted to condemn Russia.

Eritrea was one of only four countries globally – the others being Belarus, North Korea and Syria – to openly side with Russia, which has a history of military co-operation with these decidedly undemocratic, authoritarian regimes.

But democracies can hold their leaders accountable and do. Western democracies are supposed to care about human rights and rule of law. Putin does not. Nobody holds him accountable for anything.

He ignores the fact that the president of the country is not elected since 1993 and that there is no legislature, no civil society organizations, and no independent judiciary.

He doesn’t even care that Human Rights Watch says Mali’s government security forces are responsible for extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, torture, arbitrary arrests, and detentions of suspected armed fighters.

Putin is not only deepening military ties with these governments, he’s a key figure behind the Wagner Group helping to carry out their brutality. The Kremlin denies the charge.

Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/31/opinions/russia-africa-wagner-lavrov-putin-us-davis/index.html

The Democratic Republic of the Congo: From the United States to the Continent of Africa, AS Secretary of State Kamala Harris and Assistant Secretary Janet Yellen Visited

It is true, America has also been guilty of propping up authoritarian regimes and ignoring human rights abuses. There are atrocities by the American army in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and other African countries.

Harris announced $100 million in assistance for the region and pledged that the United States would be “strengthening our partnerships across the continent of Africa.” The administration is asking for more money from Congress to support local musicians, reduce child labor and better forecast the weather.

Almost a quarter of young Africans think democracy is more preferable than other forms of government, even if they don’t want to be like the West.

ACCRA, Ghana — With fears of terrorism and Russian mercenaries rippling through West Africa, Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday opened her weeklong trip to the continent by vowing support for Ghana, a democratic pillar in the region that’s being squeezed by an economic crisis and security concerns.

The first lady, the Secretary of State and the deputy Secretary of State all went to Africa in the last week. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen visited Senegal, Zambia and South Africa this year, too.

In her discussions with leaders, students and business owners, Harris intends to talk about issues related to democracy, technology, economic growth, food security, and Russia’s war in Ukraine, officials said.

Mark Green, a former UN ambassador and head of the U.S. Agency for International Development during the Trump administration, said China and Russia were attempting to build dependency. In an interview, Green said that they try to build their own self-reliance.

The U.S. needs to be listening to the continent, not just about the United States – a message for the future of the African continent

Green said that the focus of the U.S. needs to be listening to leaders about the needs of the continent.

“If you say strategic or discuss China, the natural reaction for African people is, ‘Oh, this isn’t about us, it’s about someone else’,” Green said.

The visit was a high-profile show of support for Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo, who faces rising discontent over inflation after previously overseeing one of the world’s fast-growing economies.

“Under your leadership, Ghana has been a beacon of democracy and a contributor to global peace and security,” Harris said during a joint press conference at the Jubilee House, the presidential palace in Accra.

The war has also become a dividing line at the United Nations, where some African leaders have condemned the invasion and others have refused. The situation has sparked alarm about the potential for a new Cold War dynamic, where global competition leaves Africa caught in the middle.

We are concerned with security. We’re worried about what’s happening across the globe. She said that they were clear-eyed about that. “But this trip is motivated by the importance of the direct relationship between the United States and Ghana, and as I travel the continent, with those countries as well.”

“It would be a tragic error to disrespect the legitimate hopes and interests of African people, that is how Chris Coons sees it,” he said.

In Africa, the United States is giving up on the possibility of resolving the tension between the West and the West: Akufo-Addo

Wagner began operating in Mali, which ousted French troops based there, and there are concerns that it will also deploy to Burkina Faso, where France also ended its military presence. Ghana recently accused Burkina Faso’s leaders, which took power in a coup last year, of already seeking help from Wagner.

“We’re spending a lot of sleepless nights trying to make sure we’re protected here and we called terrorism apoison and said we were spending lots of sleepless nights trying to make sure we’re protected here,” said the president. The fighting has increased in the north of the country.

Akufo-Addo’s desire for autonomy on the global stage was evident when he rebuffed a question about Chinese influence in Africa. His country reached a $2 billion deal a few years ago with a Chinese company to develop roads and other projects in return for access to a key mineral for producing aluminum.

The Russian foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, has made multiple trips to the continent in an effort to show that the West has failed to isolate Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine.

The US is still playing catch up and the Russians are making the first moves in Africa.

It’s unclear how Russia will be able to increase influence in the long term. Good will for themselves can be created in the short term.

Mucahid Durmaz, a senior analyst at Verisk Maplecroft, a global risk intelligence company, said that Moscow’s overall investments in Africa “are very modest” compared with Washington’s but he added that it has been able to leverage anti-Western sentiment in some areas of the continent.

“The Ukraine war has boosted Africa’s importance in international politics and increased geopolitical jostling among global powers for the support of its governments and nations,” he said.

U.S. officials have steered clear of framing their approach in terms of global rivalries, something that could swiftly sour Africans who are wary of being caught in the middle.