Obama seeks to reset US ties with Africa
US President Barack Obama yesterday wrapped up his first official tour of Africa, in which he sought to redefine his country’s relationship with the continent of his father’s birth as one based around partnership and trade.
Whether in Senegal, South Africa or Tanzania, Obama spoke about Africa’s potential as the next economic growth hotspot - a move that helped him receive a warm welcome almost everywhere he went.
At the same time, he also urged Africans to make sure their dealings with other nations provide their citizens with new skills and jobs and help generate wealth. Otherwise, Africa would continue to largely be an exporter of raw natural resources and would fail to benefit fully from its immense mineral wealth, he argued.
Seeking to reset US relations with the continent, Obama announced that he would invite African heads of state and government to a summit next year to open a “new chapter”.
During his meetings with heads of state and government, he also stressed that his administration was focused on helping Africa’s economic development through strong commerce links, rather than merely through aid programmes.
The US president had no specific deals on the table during the trip, and the visit was largely seen as a chance for him to move the spotlight from China back to America, even if only temporarily.
Analysts note that the US has ceded its place as Africa’s primary trading partner to China, which now has import-export deals with the continent worth about $200bn annually. Obama, however, has welcomed the fact that all emerging powers should interact with Africa.
“This is not a zero-sum game. This is not the Cold War,” Obama said before landing in South Africa, the most industrialised nation on the continent.
He also repeatedly pushed for the American business sector to “up its game” in Africa and said he would seek to pass an updated version of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which expires in 2015. AGOA, while only a limited success story since its introduction a decade ago, has helped many African companies export goods like car parts and agricultural produce to the US duty free.
While in Cape Town, Obama announced a new $7bn US government investment in African power networks over the next five years, to be accompanied by $9bn from the private sector.
Obama also used his trip to chastise African leaders who continue to oppress their people, arguing that political reforms must keep up with the rate of economic growth.
The trip at times looked set to be overshadowed by Nelson Mandela’s ill health, as the former South African president lies in a Pretoria hospital in critical condition.
And it remains to be seen if anything from this trip leaves Obama with a lasting legacy in Africa.
