The US on Tuesday welcomed dozens of African leaders to a summit aimed at strengthening partnerships across the continent.
Persecondnews.com gathered that one of the underlying goals of the summit is countering China’s influence in Africa. China is the continent’s largest trading partner and source of foreign direct investment, and Beijing enjoys wide support there compared to Washington.
The African Leaders Summit, attended by 49 heads of state and government, kicked off with the aim of zeroing in on the “vital goal of civil society and the strength of our African diasporic communities in the United States”.
The summit’s first day featured sessions on topics including trade, climate, security, space co-operation and health.
Among the first of many anticipated “deliverables” from the forum, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) announced a commitment “to align US investments with country needs” and to work in co-ordination with African and international partners to “reduce health workforce gaps”.
“These initiatives reflect our shared health objectives and the broad range of health workforce functions and needs, including preventive services, healthcare services, and emergency preparedness and response,” USAID said in a statement.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken helped to launch the summit with a reception for African innovators.
“We can’t solve any of the really big challenges we face if we don’t work together. So it’s about what we can do with African nations and people, not for them,” Mr Blinken said in his opening remarks.
The U.S also announced it will commit $55 billion to the continent over the course of the next three years “across a wide range of sectors to tackle the core challenges of our time”, and will appoint a new Special Representative for US Africa Leaders Summit Implementation.
“Africa is a key geopolitical player. The continent will shape the future not just of the African people, but also the world,” he said.
But Mr Biden has so far met fewer African heads of state than either Mr Obama or Donald Trump at the same point in their terms.
“The Biden administration is thus approaching this second US-Africa Leaders Summit with a trust deficit that it must overcome if it hopes to truly give life to a new era of partnership,” said Mvemba Phezo Dizolele, director of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies’ Africa Programme.
The event included panel discussions with Mr. Tony Elumelu, chairman Heirs Holdings, African business leaders and entrepreneurs, as well as former US president Barack Obama and British actor Idris Elba, whose family roots are in Ghana.
Mr Obama, whose father was Kenyan and who hosted the first Africa summit in 2014, echoed the call by President Joe Biden’s administration for an emphasis on governance and investment at the summit.
“Business doesn’t operate in a vacuum. You also need responsive governments, stable institutions and potential customers with money to spend,” Mr Obama said.
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