The U.S.-Africa Leaders’ Summit

The summit, addressed by U.S. President Barack Obama, aims to boost trade and investment and deepen security cooperation amidst U.S. concerns of growing threats of the spread of terrorism on the continent. Against the backdrop of insecurity in many African countries, a new initiative on security was announced by which the U.S. offered selected African […]

The summit, addressed by U.S. President Barack Obama, aims to boost trade and investment and deepen security cooperation amidst U.S. concerns of growing threats of the spread of terrorism on the continent. Against the backdrop of insecurity in many African countries, a new initiative on security was announced by which the U.S. offered selected African countries opportunity to strengthen their capacity to combat insurgency and enhance their peacekeeping efforts.
Cynics have attributed the Obama administration’s new reengage-ment with Africa largely to an attempt to head off China’s growing influence in Africa, the Asian country’s largest trading partner. Over the last decade, China has made significant economic inroads into many African countries, building infrastructure and boosting trade links. Moreover, unlike China which invited all African leaders to its own summits, the U.S. parley was marred by accusations that officials cherry-picked which head of state should attend, shutting out other African leaders such as Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe and Omar el Bashir of Sudan. Avoiding piling up too many negatives, Obama soft-pedalled on issues of human rights and corruption, an acknowledgement that the U.S. may have taken a cue from the Chinese formula of engaging with African leaders.
The summit provided a chance for representatives of Corporate America such as Coca Cola and General Electric to make their sales pitches before African leaders. By the end of the summit, deals worth 33 billion dollars had been concluded to be financed by U.S. public and private sectors. Notwithstanding the inauspicious timing of the summit, which was nearly overshadowed by the outbreak of the Ebola disease in a number of countries in West Africa, the summit managed to keep its focus on initiatives to strengthen cooperation between Africa and the U.S. President Obama agreed to renew the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), described by many as the most Africa-friendly piece of legislation ever passed in America in decades. A project of the Bill Clinton administration, AGOA allows for African exports duty free entry into the United States.
Another important new project is the Power Africa Initiative targeted at six countries, including Nigeria. The project plans to provide electricity to an estimated 60 million consumers.  In hosting the summit, Obama might want to leave his own imprint in Africa, following in the footsteps of his two predecessors.  Apart from AGOA, former President George W Bush’s initiative, the President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR) has been lauded as one of the most important U.S. initiatives on Africa. In convening the summit, the U.S. was emulating other countries that have had similar high profile summits with African leaders notably, China, Japan and India. But such fora have worried many critics, who see them as only underscoring Africa’s position as the global basket case. Proponents endorse them however, noting that the continent’s leaders have come of age, and are able to protect their own interests in engaging with the rest of the world in the new scramble for Africa.
Much has been said about the fact that Africa’s trading partners are more interested in exchanging their manufactured goods for the continent’s vast natural resources. A treasure trove of mineral resources, Africa cannot afford to continue to be the dumping ground for all manner of products from elsewhere while leaving its own citizens, especially the youth, largely unemployed with dire socio-economic and political consequences.  
Despite all the perennial trips by African leaders to foreign capitals in search of foreign investment, the answer to Africa’s challenges lies in good governance, including prudent management of scarce resources and curbing corruption. Some of the fastest growing economies in the world are said to be in Africa but much of it is growth devoid of development. Nigeria is a case in point. The country has a high growth rate, huge resource base and a vibrant and enterprising population, but with poor microeconomic planning, a bloated bureaucracy and endemic corruption, there has been very little to show for these in terms of uplifting the poor.