China and Russia are increasing their influence as Biden welcomes African leaders

The U.S. Mission to Africa: Addressing the Uncertainty between the Biden-South and the Kagame-Kagame Era

Mr. Biden had to convince the leaders he was serious about wanting to trade with them. Many were not sure about it. At a side event in Washington hours before Mr. Biden spoke, President Paul Kagame of Rwanda shrugged when asked if anything had come out of the inaugural U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit hosted by Mr. Obama in 2014.

But the emphasis put on Africa was an implicit recognition that the United States has little choice but to commit to the continent, which is projected to account for one in four people by 2050 and is rich in the resources needed to combat climate change and transition to clean energy, like vast forests and rare minerals used to power electric vehicles.

The White House said on Monday that they would invest $55 billion in Africa over the next three years, naming a special envoy to focus on these issues.

American influence in Africa dwindled under Mr. Biden’s predecessor, Donald J. Trump, who paid little attention to the continent except to deride some of its 54 nations with an expletive and to complain that after immigrants from Nigeria saw the United States, they would never “go back to their huts.” Mr. Trump spoke of Africa as if the entire continent were a single country, and once confused the name of an African nation.

Countering China’s influence around the world is one of Biden’s top foreign policy priorities. The visits to Africa are about forming connections and not about fighting other nations, according to White House officials.

In the past year, there has been a concerted shift in tone from U.S. diplomats. The new Africa strategy document emphasized partnership and agency. The intent of the US is to listen, not lecture, according to Biden administration officials.

The White House says that it will appoint a veteran foreign service officer named Johnnie Carson to an appointment as a special representative for Africa.

The Biden Era: Towards a More Secure and Fair Trade for the Industrial Production of Humans in Africa, Revisited

Poor transport links and protectionist policies are some of the measures that impede trade in Africa. The World Bank says the free-trade area could lift 30 million people out of extreme poverty by the year 2040. The implementation has been slow, and assistance from the US and other foreign powers is needed to bolster it’s chances.

In briefings, the US wanted new trade opportunities and better cooperation on fighting terrorism, but they didn’t give any details on what signature aims they wanted for. Whether any major policy emerges from the summit remains to be seen.

A three-day gathering may go a long way in emphasizing American support for Africa, with concrete promises on important issues. At the same time, it did not include a sweeping, inspirational initiative like President George W. Bush’s PEPFAR program to combat AIDS or President Barack Obama’s Power Africa drive to electrify tens of millions of homes. Unclear was whether Mr. Biden’s less splashy commitments would have a tangible impact on people’s lives.

Without mentioning any of the past, Mr. Biden sought to demonstrate his affection for the region at a dinner on Wednesday night, during which he celebrated the achievements of the visiting African leaders and their spouses, and honored the first African nation to make the final four in the World Cup.

He joked as he opened his speech 13 minutes before game time that he was told to make it short. France defeatedrocco, 2-0.

The Biden administration tried to play down the perception that their efforts this week were trying to compete with China.

Following his speech Wednesday, Biden was hosting a small group of African leaders at the White House “for a discussion on upcoming presidential elections in 2023 in Africa and US support for free, fair and credible polls across the continent,” national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters Monday, a sign of Biden’s focus on issues of democracy on the continent.

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.

The war in Ukraine made clear the scale of American priorities. A mistake by Mr. Biden in his speech underscored the context. He described a digital economy initiative for Africa as a $350 billion investment, when in fact it will be $350 million, as noted in the official White House transcript correcting the president’s error. By contrast, the Biden administration and Congress have committed $68 billion to the war in Ukraine and the White House has just asked Congress for another $37.7 billion.

Some analysts wondered whether the roster of projects ticked off by the president and his aides this week would be more effective than a single broad initiative like those introduced 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. “But I don’t know if that sinks in very well. It was simpler and more memorable with Power Africa. It drew on the power of the podium.”

Microsoft and programs to train African entrepreneurs are included in the digital economy project. American big tech believes that the demographic future of the world is African. “A million Africans turn 18 every month. This is the future.”

In this week’s summit,China was the only factor not mentioned in the book. Mr. Biden’s announcement of 800 million dollars in new contracts for a company named Cybastion, which protects African countries from cyberthreats, was a contrast to the dominance of a Chinese firm that has cellphones and computers all over Africa.

The Biden administration this week announced its support for an initiative to use minerals mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo to make batteries for electric vehicles in factories in neighboring Zambia. The African goal is to keep supply chains for one of the hottest new businesses in the world.

It also counteracts the idea in Washington that China is getting a grip on rare minerals.

The US-Africa Leaders Summit: Building New Economic and Security Partnerships for the Whole World and Addressing Russia’s Problems in Africa

He told reporters that any time an administration doesn’t put a lot of attention into a place it has consequences. But “we believe that we are not coming into this summit from a standing start. We are coming into this summit with a head of steam and I believe that there will be a lot more going on at the summit.

The United States succeeds when Africa succeeds. Quite frankly, the whole world succeeds as well,” Biden said during his first appearance at the multi-day US-Africa Leaders Summit, being held in Washington.

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.

Senior administration officials said the goal is to build more robust ties with African nations in order to address the significant challenges they face and to cultivate beneficial economic and security partnerships.

Russia’s attempts to gain influence in Africa have alarmed Washington, as China has been a leading concern. Some countries have been friends with the Soviets for a long time.

“We see Russia continuing to peddle cheap weapons,” US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Tuesday at a summit session. Russia employing mercenaries across the continent is a problem as well.

The Foreign Minister in South Africa: Why he doesn’t care about human rights or democracy – but what does he want to tell us about democracy?

Sullivan said the summit is not just to take a step back, it is also because of the recognition that Africa is a key player. The future of both the African people and the world will be shaped by the continent.

Joyce M. Davis is an editor at The Patriot-News and an outreach and opinion editor at PennLive. 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 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.

The leaders in South Africa, as well as others in the African region, treated diplomacy like friends instead of being considered pariahs by the US.

The Foreign Minister in South Africa, Naledi Pandor, welcomed the Foreign Minister with open arms. She didn’t use the meeting in Pretoria last Monday to repeat calls for Russia to stop killing Ukrainians. She said it would be “simplistic and idiotic” to do so.

Pandor stated that South Africa will soon conduct naval drills with Russia and China, calling it an exercise with friends. The US and Europe were not amused.

Now the West is having to face the fact that a good swath of Africa appears to consider Russian President Vladimir Putin a friend – or at the very least, strategically important enough to keep on side.

It was a significant – though just shy of a majority – portion of the continent. In total, 28 African nations – including Nigeria and Egypt – voted to condemn Russia.

One of the few countries that had a history of military co-operation with undemocratic, authoritarian regimes was Eritrea, which openly supported Russia.

It’s easy to understand why. Putin sends weapons to prop up authoritarian regimes. He sends mercenaries to fight Islamic insurgents; and he doesn’t care a whit about democracy, corruption or human rights.

He doesn’t care that Eritrea’s president Isaias Afewerki has been unelected since 1993 and that Human Rights Watch says the country has no legislature, no independent civil society organizations, and no independent judiciary.

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

Putin is helping to carry out the brutality of the governments and is a key figure in the Wagner Group. The Kremlin denies the charge.

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

U.S. Mission to Africa: Ambassadors to South Africa, Ambassador to Africa, and Vice President Biden to Senegal, Zambia and South Africa

It is true, America has also been guilty of propping up authoritarian regimes and ignoring human rights abuses. We should not forget American atrocities in Africa.

The United States will help Africa with $100 million in assistance, according to Harris. The administration wants Congress to provide $139 million in funding to help reduce child labor, weather forecasting and support local musicians.

According to the 2022 African Youth Survey, 74% of young Africans say democracy is preferable to any other form of government, even if they don’t want to be carbon copies of the West.

Vice President Harris is leaving on Saturday for a week-long trip to Ghana, Tanzania and Zambia. She will be the highest-ranking member of the Biden administration to visit the continent, as the White House tries to counter Chinese influence there.

The Secretary of State traveled to Ethiopia and Niger last week, as well as first lady Biden and her husband, Vice President Biden. 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.

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China and Russia try “to build dependency,” said Mark Green, a former ambassador to Tanzania who was head of the U.S. Agency for International Development during the Trump administration. “We seek to build self-reliance,” Green said in an interview.

The US should focus on listening to the leaders of Africa rather than on the foreign policy of the United States, said Hal Green, who is the head of the Wilson Center.

“Whenever you say ‘strategic’ or whenever you talk about China, the natural reaction for Africans is, ‘OK, well, this isn’t about us, it’s about somebody else,'” Green said.

The visit was an important show of support for the president who is facing increasing discontent over inflation after previously leading one of the fastest-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.

Some African leaders have condemned the invasion, but 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.

“Yes, we are concerned with security. What is happening on the globe is a concern for us. We are clear-eyed about that,” she said. “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.”

Sen. Chris Coons, a Delaware Democrat who has worked extensively on African issues and joined Harris for the trip to Ghana, said that it “would be a tragic error to disrespect the legitimate hopes and interests of African people.”

Vladimir Putin’s influence in the wake of the Ukraine war: a “poison” for the U.S. and “for the sake of Africa”

The United States sent troops to train the militaries of several countries, in order to strengthen their defenses against the Islamic State and al- Qaeda. However, other countries have turned to the Russian mercenary force known as Wagner, which has been on the front lines of Russia’s war in Ukraine but also has a presence in Africa.

Akufo-Addo called terrorism a “poison” and said “we’re spending a lot of sleepless nights trying to make sure we’re protected here.” Sporadic fighting has already increased in Ghana’s north, which borders Burkina Faso.

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

The Russian foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov has made several trips to Africa in order to prove that the west has ignored Moscow in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine.

“The Russians are continuing to make the first move in Africa, and the U.S. is continuing to play catch-up,” said Samuel Ramani, associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, a London-based defense and security think tank.

“It’s really unclear how Russia will really be able to expand its influence in the long term,” he added. “But in the short term, they’re creating good will for themselves.”

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.

It’s not something U.S officials want people to think they’re framing their approach in, something that could cause Africa to be angry with U.S. officials.