Africa is the sleeping giant of this century. Its large populations, strong natural resources, increasing security and better education make it a potential rival to the economic giants of Asia and Latin America. However, it has been held back by very poor governance, ingrained corruption and a global unwillingness to invest in countries where things have gone wrong for so long. This is why the Obama administration has done well to recover from its earlier disinterest in Africa and to try to put things right for the final two years of its tenure in Washington.
Yesterday, President Barack Obama welcomed the leaders of nearly all of Africa’s 50 nations to a three day US-Africa summit that is designed to focus on fundamental issues like democracy-building, education, health care, food security and encouraging companies to invest in Africa’s up-and-coming economies, as well as on more aspirational issues like climate and prevention of wildlife trafficking.
There is an obvious danger that urgent issues like the Ebola outbreak and the civil wars in Libya and the Central African Republic could displace the long-term concerns on the agenda, but even if the hectic schedule means that the summit may not end with a clear message, it will still do a lot of good if it kick-starts the US into at least thinking about Africa.
The Americans are not doing all this out of goodness of heart. They are well aware that by ignoring Africa for decades they have lost ground to their global rivals. China’s annual trade with Africa is about $200 billion (Dh735.6 billion), which is twice that of what American does and Washington knows that Africa is home to six of the world’s 10 fastest-growing economies and it wants to be a part of the boom that is about to emerge there.
The Africans are keenly aware that they have been ignored up until now and they will want to see commitment from the US. They are in Washington with a new strength, but also aware that they need investment and support. So they are looking for a more balanced relationship.
