President Joe Biden has a delicate diplomatic dance to perform as African leaders descend on the White House.
Biden’s foreign policy for Africa has been de-prioritized amid his deadly Afghanistan withdrawal, Russia‘s war in Ukraine, and the United States and China‘s increasingly adversarial competition. But eight years after the first U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit, the political spotlight will be shone on the continent once again this week as Biden hosts his iteration of the gathering.
BIDEN’S GAY MARRIAGE WIN MAY LEAD DEMOCRATS TO RETOOL SUPREME COURT ATTACKS
That Africa is strategically important to U.S. interests and likely to become even more so in the future is widely acknowledged, according to former U.S. Ambassador J. Peter Pham, a former State Department special envoy for the Great Lakes region of Africa.
“Everything from the demographics of a growing younger population to the critical minerals needed not just to aspirations of the green energy transition but also to new technologies underscore this reality,” he told the Washington Examiner.
For Pham, an Atlantic Council fellow and a Vandenberg Coalition adviser, Biden and administration aides grappling with Africa have to unlearn “ingrained habits.” He said, “They are used to an ‘aid rather than trade’ mindset, when what the times calls for is ‘trade not aid’ or, at the very least, ‘trade in addition to aid.'”
“One sees this playing out in the structure of the summit itself,” he said. “While the top-line messaging might talk about ‘engagement’ with Africa, the program smacks of lecturing Africans with what seems like an endless succession of thematic panel discussions and civil society get-togethers rather than formal diplomatic parleys.”
National security adviser Jake Sullivan addressed these concerns this week, contending that the summit “is rooted in the recognition that Africa is a key geopolitical player.” The U.S. is also appointing former Ambassador Johnnie Carson, who has served in several African nations and was the former assistant secretary of state for African affairs, to become the new special representative for U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit implementation.
“Indeed, with one of the world’s fastest-growing populations, largest free trade areas, most diverse ecosystems, and one of the largest voting — regional voting groups in the United Nations, African contributions, partnerships, and leadership are essential to meeting this era’s defining challenges,” a senior administration official added during a background briefing call.
Pham underscored African leader frustration regarding the lack of bilateral meetings with Biden, at odds with the approach of China, India, Russia, and even the European Union, during their respective summits. Sullivan dismissed the complaints, countering that Biden will have the opportunity to “greet” every counterpart at a White House dinner.
“If you look at the substance of this summit, the sessions that he is going to sit with those leaders around the table and deal with, it is the things that they have asked to talk about that he will be talking about with them,” he said during a press briefing.
Biden’s outreach specifically coincides with overtures to the bloc from China through its Belt and Road soft diplomacy international infrastructure project, which aims to invest in almost 150 countries and organizations by 2049. Sullivan sought to distance Biden from speculation that the summit is about China, too, insisting it is a “positive proposition” about what the U.S. “can offer” the region.
The summit is anticipated to culminate with three announcements, including U.S. support of the African Union joining the G-20 conference and the U.N. Security Council as a permanent member. The U.S. will also commit $55 billion to Africa during the next three years for development, economic growth, health, and security, in addition to presidential and Cabinet-level travel in 2023.
The three-day schedule for delegations from all 49 invited African countries and the African Union opened Tuesday with discussions on trade and investment, health and climate, peace, security and governance, and space cooperation.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Wednesday will be dominated by the U.S.-Africa Business Forum, during which more than 300 American and African companies will converse with respect to two-way trade and investment, particularly in critical agriculture, digital, energy, infrastructure, and health sectors. After delivering remarks, Biden will host select leaders at the White House to speak about presidential elections to be held next year in Congo, Liberia, Madagascar, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, and Zimbabwe. He will then convene all 50 delegation heads and their partners at the executive mansion for dinner.
In tandem with Vice President Kamala Harris and first lady Jill Biden‘s own events, Thursday will amplify Agenda 2063, the African Union’s strategy framework, and food security amid the coronavirus pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
