In the United States (US) National Strategy and Security Document proclaimed on October 14, 2022, one page was reserved for Africa. Accordingly, it was stated that cooperation and joint work with African countries would be augmented. In addition, the Washington administration, which wants to review its relations with African countries where Russia and China’s influence has expanded, does not want to leave Africa under the domination of China and Russia. In this context, the White House announced that a US-Africa Summit will be held on December 13-15, as announced in July 2022.[1]
The first of these summits were held in 2014 under the leadership of then-US President Barack Obama. During the Donald Trump era, no such summit was held for Africa. Therefore, the call for the second summit made during the Biden period can be interpreted as the US has put Africa on its agenda and the continent will be more prominent in the coming period. Topics at the summit; peace, security and good governance, food security, health, climate change, education, youth, and diaspora ties that Africa suffers from.
49 out of 54 African countries were invited to the US-Africa Leaders’ Summit held between 13-15 December 2022.[2] If the President of the African Union is included, it is seen that 50 leaders attended the meeting. Four of the remaining countries are Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, and Sudan; considering the coup situation, they were not invited to the summit. Eritrea, on the other hand, was not invited due to the lack of bilateral relations.
The summit in question can be expressed as one of the most significant foreign policy priorities for Biden’s second year in office. Because around 1000 Africans, consisting of 50 leaders and many officials with them, came to Washington and forums were held on many issues, especially on issues such as business, security, trade, food insecurity, and climate change. The interviews here revealed both the US policy towards Africa and the perspective of Africans towards the US.
US President Joe Biden had the opportunity to meet with African heads of state during and after sessions. This summit, organized by the Washington administration, which does not hold high-level meetings with African states very often compared to European countries and Asian countries such as China, Russia, and India, provided an important opportunity to bring the US foreign policy to a new ground.
As it is known, the Washington-Beijing tension that started before Biden was elected President of the US continued with Biden’s appointment. Despite China’s increasing geopolitical and economic influence around the world, the decrease in the influence of the US and the deterioration in its relations with important countries reveal the world that has evolved into a multipolar system.
Considering the increasing influence of China in Africa, it has an important influence in many areas, especially in the economy, in almost all the continental countries. However, this is arduous to say for the US. Because when the trade volume of the US and China with African countries is compared, this situation comes to the fore.
In this context, the summit move of the Washington administration against the increasing influence of China and Russia is very prominent both in terms of US foreign policy and Washington’s relations with African capitals.
The fact that China is not mentioned even once in the 34-page agenda report prepared for the summit, and that Russia takes place twice due to the Ukraine War in the context of food security and the global food crisis means that the agenda includes significant changes compared to the African strategy published at the time of Trump. While the increase in China’s influence and investments was at the forefront of the African strategy published during the Trump era; it is noteworthy that the Biden administration put forward an agenda that never mentioned China.
Considering that China has increased its commercial activities in Africa in recent years, has become more visible militarily, and its diplomatic ties with almost every country are considered, the attitude of the Washington administration can be better understood. Although Russia is at war with Ukraine, it is closely watched by the US as it develops its relations with Africa and establishes military partnerships by increasing its presence in African countries.
Accordingly, without mentioning these two countries at the summit, issues such as developing commercial relations with African countries, strengthening the African diaspora within the US, conflicts in the continent, food insecurity, climate change and developing agricultural activities came to the fore. Therefore, the summit in question is important for the US to keep up with the new dynamics of the region, to produce eligible policies and to make new agreements.
To summarize, Africa is of great importance both diplomatically and economically. The continent, which has 54 votes in the United Nations, also has enormous economic market potential. Knowing this, the US wants to create opportunities against the increasing Chinese influence in the continent. It can be said that this is one of the main aims of the summit. In addition, in July 2022, the US’s humanitarian aid of close to 1.3 billion dollars to prevent drought-induced hunger in East Africa coincided with the date when the African summit was announced. In addition, in his closing speech on the last day of the summit, US President Joe Biden’s statement that 2 billion US dollars in humanitarian aid will be provided for food insecurity in Africa can be seen as proof that such aid can continue, and that the US wants to strengthen its profile in Africa. The situation in question indicates that the US has undergone a significant change in its African policy.
One of the important implications of the summit for Africa is that the US announced that it would support the African Union to become a permanent participant in the G20. If this happens, Africa will be mentioned more as a union and the African Union will be able to strengthen its position in the continent. Another implication is that the US will provide 2 billion dollars of humanitarian aid to the food insecure places in Africa. In this way, many people who are starving or cannot reach food in Africa will be saved. Finally, the US signed trade and cooperation agreements with African countries in various fields, and President Biden made some economic commitments for Africa. In this context, the summit in question can be seen as important both for the development and recovery of Africa and for the US to catch up with China’s influence in the continent.
In conclusion, it can be said that the US-Africa Summit marks the beginning of a new era for both Washington-Africa relations and the world. It is possible to argue that by 2023, the US will take a greater role in terms of economic and humanitarian aid in Africa. However, the US can develop an economic initiative towards Africa. The US, which wants to increase its influence in Central Asia in response to China and Russia, helps the countries of the region through economic initiatives can be given as an example. For this reason, it can be claimed that the Washington administration’s aid to the continent will continue to increase, and the summit will give a message to Russia and China. In addition, the Biden administration’s devotion to the first day of the summit, considering the African diaspora in the US, may indicate important changes in African policy.
[1] The White House, “Statement by President Biden on the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit”, https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2022/07/20/statement-by-president-biden-on-the-u-s-africa-leaders-summit/ (Date of Accession: 12.12.2022).
[2] Anita Powell, “US-Africa Leaders Summit Brings 50 African Voices to Washington”, Voice of America, https://www.voanews.com/a/us-africa-leaders-summit-brings-50-african-voices-to-washington/6869019.html (Date of Accession: 12.12.2022).
