5 Key Takeaways From The US-Africa Summit

• The US-Africa summit seen as a move by the United States moves to counter China’s dominance of Africa
• Nigeria and Rwanda Lead the Way in the US-Africa Space and Digital Transformation Partnership
• United States Set to Invest $3.99 billion in the African Health Sector

 

United States president Joe Biden hosted 49 African leaders in Washington, D. C. from 13 to 15 December 2022 for the US-Africa Summit. This would be the second time the United States is hosting the Summit after it was organized in 2014 by President Barack Obama. 

The aim of the US-Africa Summit is to discuss the foreign policies of the United States targeted at strengthening partnerships with the continent. In recent times, the United States has made conscious efforts to strengthen its ties with African nations amidst the growing influence of China in the continent.

Like Obama in 2014, President Joe Biden used the three-day event to announce a number of initiatives that his administration has packaged for Africa. He noted that the United States would be implementing a two-way trade and investment initiative targeted at improving health care and technology in Africa. 

The highlight of the Summit was the announcement by the president that the United States would be investing $55 billion in Africa in the next three years. He also informed the visiting African presidents that United States Vice President Kamala Devi Harris, and Secretary of State, Antony John Blinken would be embarking on a tour across Africa in 2023.

Below, we have highlighted five key takeaways from the US-Africa Summit; check them out!

Africa is the Catalyst to Global Success
Once again, the United States used the event of the second US-Africa Summit to reiterate the importance and significance of Africa to global success. Delivering his opening remarks at the event before the 49 African leaders in attendance, President Biden said, “When Africa succeeds, the United States succeeds. Quite frankly, the whole world succeeds as well.”

The president also touched on the sensitive topic of slavery, calling it America’s “original sin.” He also honoured the descendants of millions of people who were enslaved in America and recognized African communities in the United States. 

“Our people lie at the heart of the deep and profound connection that forever binds Africa and the United States together,” he said. “We remember the stolen men and women and children were brought to our shores in chains, subjected to unimaginable cruelty.”

The president also reiterated the determination of his administration to contribute to a better Africa. “The United States is ‘all in’ on Africa’s future,” Biden told the African leaders.

United States Set to Invest $3.99 billion in the African Health Sector
According to a report by the National Library of Medicine, more than one-fifth of African medical practitioners are working overseas. Dataphyte revealed in January this year that statistics reveal that not less than 2,000 medical doctors leave Africa yearly. Experts say that the effect of the brain drain on the continent is worse than the effects of war and any natural disaster. 

Well, it appears there would be a change going forward because President Biden has promised to assist Africa in tackling the brain drain challenge. The president has revealed that his administration will invest $1.33 billion yearly from 2022 to 2024 to strengthen the health sector in Africa towards creating better working conditions for health workers in the continent. 

Nigeria and Rwanda Lead the Way in the US-Africa Space and Digital Transformation Partnership
Nigeria and Rwanda took the first steps towards benefiting from the US-Africa space partnership project by signing the Artemis Accords. The Artemis Accords are guiding principles and documentation that are targeted at providing information for space exploration activities among global signatories. 

After signing the documents, leaders from the other African countries discussed how they could partner with the Rwanda Space Agency and ATLAS Space Operations to teleport large satellite antennas to space. Also, the expansion of SpaceX broadband from Nigeria to other parts of the continent was also discussed.

 

Five African Countries were Not Invited to the US-Africa Summit

Only 49 African countries were represented at the US-Africa Summit 2022, and if you thought some African countries turned down the invitation to be present at the event, then you thought wrong. 

Representatives of Guinea, Mali, Sudan, Burkina Faso, and Eritrea were not present at the Summit, and this was because they were not invited by the United States to attend. Reacting to questions on why the five African countries were not invited, a senior official from the White House informed newsmen that they were not invited due to diplomatic reasons.

According to the White House official, four of the countries not invited — Guinea, Sudan, Mali, and Burkina Faso — changed their governments unconstitutionally and are currently suspended by the African Union, which means they cannot be invited to a meeting of African leaders.

On the other hand, the United States does not have any existing formal ties with Eritrea. So, it was not surprising that officials from the Isaias Afwerki-led administration were not invited to the Summit. 

The United States Wants to Contest China’s Presence in Africa
It is no longer news that the United States is concerned about the increasing presence of China and the continuous dependence of the continent on the Asian superpower. Top officials from the U.S. have openly warned African leaders of their relationship with Chip, saying that the Asian nation has a selfish motive in their interest towards Africa.

To contest the increasing dominance of African nations of China – which is mostly in the area of infrastructural development and innovation, the United States has promised to expand its relationship with the continent beyond traditional trade partnerships. 

President Biden announced the strategy of the U.S. towards winning back Africa by revealing that the country has appointed Ambassador Johnnie Carson as the U.S. representative who has been tasked with identifying innovation and infrastructural challenges in the continent and advising the U.S. government on how best to solve them. Ambassador Carson is a former United States ambassador to Kenya, Zimbabwe, and Uganda.