hen President-elect Biden discussed bipartisan unity in his November 7th speech in Wilmington, Delaware, he missed the opportunity to highlight one policy area where Democrats and Republicans are already united: Africa.
Despite the political complexities and cultural differences across the 54 countries on the African continent, U.S. foreign policy towards Africa has received consistent bipartisan congressional support, particularly in areas such as trade, security, and development.
Presidential administrations also have established precedence of continuing Africa-focused programs created by their predecessors, as has been the case with President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI), Feed the Future, Power Africa, and the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI).
Even with a legacy of bipartisan policymaking towards Africa, each Presidential administration undoubtedly contributes its own approach to U.S.-Africa relations. The Trump Administration, for example, may be negatively remembered for less than diplomatic references to Africa and policy frameworks predominantly driven by competition with China. However, it should also be positively remembered for creating the Development Finance Corporation (DFC) via the BUILD Act and increasing support for U.S. private sector investment in Africa through Prosper Africa. Given each presidential administration has prioritized Africa policies differently, bipartisan support has been crucial to advancing U.S.-Africa relations.
With his victory now official, President-elect Biden should consider including these three critical elements in his administration’s African policy.
Focus on African youth
Africa’s youth population is expected to increase by 500 million over the next 30 years, meaning Africa will have one of the youngest populations in the world by 2050, and therefore require more food, jobs, and educational opportunities. Currently, 60 percent of the continent’s 1.25 billion residents are already below the age of 25, and this growing young population can serve as an asset or destabilizing force. U.S.-funded programs like the YALI network and Mandela Washington Fellowship provide valuable platforms for engaging African youth to be future leaders for good governance, social change, and innovation, and must continue and expand. The African Airlift of the 1960s demonstrated the positive long-term impact of African students studying in the United States, and it is essential to remove policy barriers (e.g. visa bans) that prevent African students from attending four-year American universities.
Focusing on African youth also means that U.S. aid initiatives should prioritize skills training, education, and employment opportunities in programming across Africa. Overall Africa policies should continue to leverage U.S. competitiveness and empower American companies to invest in industries that create jobs and hire African talent through doing business in Africa. This is an important way the United States can distinguish itself from other international competitors looking to gain leverage in the region.
Provide Alternatives to China
Critics of U.S. diplomacy often note that American policymakers discredit China’s influence in Africa without providing concrete alternatives to Chinese investment. Current U.S. diplomatic rhetoric characterizes Chinese engagement in Africa as manipulative and one that creates dependency, contrasted to America’s approach that promotes transparency and self-reliance. Instead, the message should be that the United States offers initiatives that respect international norms and provide stability, environmental impact, and inclusive economic growth in Africa.
For example, China excels at conducting large-scale projects such infrastructure, telecoms, or arms deals. From an economic standpoint, China holds the most “Africa Summits” and provides billions of dollars in loan financing for projects related to its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), making it the largest bilateral creditor in Africa. Where China does not excel in Africa – unlike the U.S. – is using quality materials in projects, respecting human rights, addressing the environmental or socio-economic impacts of investments, or monitoring how its goods are used against African Citizens.
Despite its investments, China still ranks below the United States in African popular opinion surveys regarding the best models for development. This suggests many African countries would welcome broader U.S. engagement, and the quality partnerships it can offer. American companies, for example, are bound by regulations such as the Foreign and Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), and use higher production standards that provide quality outputs and focus on sustainability.
The United States also has a strategic advantage in providing partnerships that rapidly scaling economies across Africa require, particularly in technology, financial services, and energy sectors. While China may win the battle of scale in Africa, through sustained investment and engagement, the U.S. can provide long-term impact for African partners.
Emphasize America and Africa’s shared future
Despite differences in culture, geography, and economies, the U.S. and countries across Africa share common values from democracy to religious freedom. Both American and African citizens value their democratic rights, as evidenced by the “Black Lives Matter” movement in America and “EndSARS” demonstrations in Nigeria, which protested inequality and corruption. In addition, Americans and Africans share the desire for a future free of terrorism, for their children to receive an education, and to pursue economic prosperity. The United States and most of the African countries also share a unique historic identity as states that gained independence from former European colonial powers.
African countries currently represent the largest unified bloc in the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, and hold three non-permanent seats on the UN Security Council. Working with African partners is not a matter of choice, but a matter of necessity. As such, U.S. Africa policies should acknowledge the interdependency of American and African interests, and build on those linkages at both a policy and community level.
Specifically, this requires assigning greater priority to African policy issues, diversifying narratives around U.S. engagement in Africa, expanding the representation of Africa in American media, and even increasing the amount of African contemporary history taught in public schools. At a policy level, this means ensuring that African diplomatic representatives routinely meet with their equal policy counterparts in the U.S., and focusing on African countries as trade partners rather than aid recipients. Harnessing resources like the $60 billion financing capacity of the DFC or lesser-known US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA), and supporting the Millennium Impact for Infrastructure Accelerator (MIIA) Development Partnership are some of the many ways America can directly boost African businesses and institutions.
Beyond the Next Four Years
President-elect Biden’s administration faces a watershed moment for U.S.-Africa policy. Where America has been a partial partner in the past, it can solidify future relationships through deepening business, diplomatic, and community engagements in Africa. By implementing policies that prioritize African youth, provide alternatives to Chinese investment, and emphasize a shared future, the United States can write a new chapter of long-lasting and mutually beneficial relations with African partners.
a global affairs media network
U.S.-Africa Foreign Policy: Three Priorities for the Biden Administration
December 20, 2020
W
hen President-elect Biden discussed bipartisan unity in his November 7th speech in Wilmington, Delaware, he missed the opportunity to highlight one policy area where Democrats and Republicans are already united: Africa.
Despite the political complexities and cultural differences across the 54 countries on the African continent, U.S. foreign policy towards Africa has received consistent bipartisan congressional support, particularly in areas such as trade, security, and development.
Presidential administrations also have established precedence of continuing Africa-focused programs created by their predecessors, as has been the case with President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI), Feed the Future, Power Africa, and the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI).
Even with a legacy of bipartisan policymaking towards Africa, each Presidential administration undoubtedly contributes its own approach to U.S.-Africa relations. The Trump Administration, for example, may be negatively remembered for less than diplomatic references to Africa and policy frameworks predominantly driven by competition with China. However, it should also be positively remembered for creating the Development Finance Corporation (DFC) via the BUILD Act and increasing support for U.S. private sector investment in Africa through Prosper Africa. Given each presidential administration has prioritized Africa policies differently, bipartisan support has been crucial to advancing U.S.-Africa relations.
With his victory now official, President-elect Biden should consider including these three critical elements in his administration’s African policy.
Focus on African youth
Africa’s youth population is expected to increase by 500 million over the next 30 years, meaning Africa will have one of the youngest populations in the world by 2050, and therefore require more food, jobs, and educational opportunities. Currently, 60 percent of the continent’s 1.25 billion residents are already below the age of 25, and this growing young population can serve as an asset or destabilizing force. U.S.-funded programs like the YALI network and Mandela Washington Fellowship provide valuable platforms for engaging African youth to be future leaders for good governance, social change, and innovation, and must continue and expand. The African Airlift of the 1960s demonstrated the positive long-term impact of African students studying in the United States, and it is essential to remove policy barriers (e.g. visa bans) that prevent African students from attending four-year American universities.
Focusing on African youth also means that U.S. aid initiatives should prioritize skills training, education, and employment opportunities in programming across Africa. Overall Africa policies should continue to leverage U.S. competitiveness and empower American companies to invest in industries that create jobs and hire African talent through doing business in Africa. This is an important way the United States can distinguish itself from other international competitors looking to gain leverage in the region.
Provide Alternatives to China
Critics of U.S. diplomacy often note that American policymakers discredit China’s influence in Africa without providing concrete alternatives to Chinese investment. Current U.S. diplomatic rhetoric characterizes Chinese engagement in Africa as manipulative and one that creates dependency, contrasted to America’s approach that promotes transparency and self-reliance. Instead, the message should be that the United States offers initiatives that respect international norms and provide stability, environmental impact, and inclusive economic growth in Africa.
For example, China excels at conducting large-scale projects such infrastructure, telecoms, or arms deals. From an economic standpoint, China holds the most “Africa Summits” and provides billions of dollars in loan financing for projects related to its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), making it the largest bilateral creditor in Africa. Where China does not excel in Africa – unlike the U.S. – is using quality materials in projects, respecting human rights, addressing the environmental or socio-economic impacts of investments, or monitoring how its goods are used against African Citizens.
Despite its investments, China still ranks below the United States in African popular opinion surveys regarding the best models for development. This suggests many African countries would welcome broader U.S. engagement, and the quality partnerships it can offer. American companies, for example, are bound by regulations such as the Foreign and Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), and use higher production standards that provide quality outputs and focus on sustainability.
The United States also has a strategic advantage in providing partnerships that rapidly scaling economies across Africa require, particularly in technology, financial services, and energy sectors. While China may win the battle of scale in Africa, through sustained investment and engagement, the U.S. can provide long-term impact for African partners.
Emphasize America and Africa’s shared future
Despite differences in culture, geography, and economies, the U.S. and countries across Africa share common values from democracy to religious freedom. Both American and African citizens value their democratic rights, as evidenced by the “Black Lives Matter” movement in America and “EndSARS” demonstrations in Nigeria, which protested inequality and corruption. In addition, Americans and Africans share the desire for a future free of terrorism, for their children to receive an education, and to pursue economic prosperity. The United States and most of the African countries also share a unique historic identity as states that gained independence from former European colonial powers.
African countries currently represent the largest unified bloc in the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, and hold three non-permanent seats on the UN Security Council. Working with African partners is not a matter of choice, but a matter of necessity. As such, U.S. Africa policies should acknowledge the interdependency of American and African interests, and build on those linkages at both a policy and community level.
Specifically, this requires assigning greater priority to African policy issues, diversifying narratives around U.S. engagement in Africa, expanding the representation of Africa in American media, and even increasing the amount of African contemporary history taught in public schools. At a policy level, this means ensuring that African diplomatic representatives routinely meet with their equal policy counterparts in the U.S., and focusing on African countries as trade partners rather than aid recipients. Harnessing resources like the $60 billion financing capacity of the DFC or lesser-known US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA), and supporting the Millennium Impact for Infrastructure Accelerator (MIIA) Development Partnership are some of the many ways America can directly boost African businesses and institutions.
Beyond the Next Four Years
President-elect Biden’s administration faces a watershed moment for U.S.-Africa policy. Where America has been a partial partner in the past, it can solidify future relationships through deepening business, diplomatic, and community engagements in Africa. By implementing policies that prioritize African youth, provide alternatives to Chinese investment, and emphasize a shared future, the United States can write a new chapter of long-lasting and mutually beneficial relations with African partners.
