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29.07.2015 Feature Article

Obama Visit Opens Chapter For Refreshing Times in Africa

Obama Visit Opens Chapter For Refreshing Times in Africa
29.07.2015 LISTEN

President Barack Obama’s visit to Africa has set in motion forces that will pressure Africans to invest in geopolitical navigation skills. With lots of partnership deals from the West, Latin America and Asia, a dizzying season has descended upon Africa. Africa is keen to cash on the on the United States of America’s offer on markets, opportunities for its bulging youth and capability building. The continent requires USD 93 Billion per year to meet its infrastructure needs – an area China has excelled in so far.

Offers from U.S.A, China and other markets are not for free, they are driven by respective countries’ national interests. Will Africans’ geopolitical navigation tools fail the way they did prior to colonialism?

In the recent past, Africa has leveraged on its relationship with emerging economies to exert its viewpoints in international processes. The most dramatic one was how the African Union marshaled its forces to counter the activities of the International Criminal Court. In 2003, African countries led to the collapse of the World Trade Organization talks in Cancun, Mexico when they walked out in protest against the refusal by Western countries to open their markets to the poor. With two turbocharged powers - U.S.A and China - on the shores of the continent, Africans have the challenge to manage and ensure peaceful engagement.

While hosting President Obama, Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta agued: “We cannot afford the luxury of the old language of East versus West. Kenya is aligned to neither. We are firmly and irreversibly aligned to progress.” It should be recalled that the first President of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah at independence argued: “We face neither East nor West; we face forward.” Such sentiments did not stop the ugly events that weighed down the continent shortly after.

The first African American President, Barack Obama did an excellent job to bolster the historical bridge that connects Africa to America. The bridge has both sad tales and tales of great benefits to Africa. On a sad note, the slavery episodes led African-Americans into forced labor to power the American economy. Similarly, and the cold-war era tactics halted the continent’s transformation. On a happy note, the bridge has its happy ending tales as well. The son of a Kenyan ascended to become the President of the most powerful nation on earth and the first American President to address the African Union. The bridge also has positive tales of development initiatives on the continent that have energized how Africans organize their societies.

Obama’s dream of an effective partnership with Africa will require heavy investment to build a constituency in U.S.A that can vouch for Africa’s interests. It will require a strong bond between Americans who derive direct benefits for Africa’s being and Africans. This has to be cultivated. It came a little late in Obama’s presidency but his charisma and goodwill can get the momentum going. Without such a constituency, U.S.A’s efforts will waver.

America has unleashed its goodies running into millions of dollars: USD$ 40 to counter extremism in East Africa; USD$ 465 million in training, equipment and capacity building; USD$ 450 million in loans to Small and Medium Sized enterprises; USD$ 100 million to women initiative and USAID USD$ 25 Million loans to social enterprise and over half a billion dollars in USA private sector pledges to Africa. Africans expect China through the Forum on China Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) which meets later this year to unbundle Chinese goodies as well.

The best navigational tool Africa can push for at the moment is to reform international systems to secure the continent’s interests. Africans should push for a reformed United Nations system that can effectively protect weak countries from powerful partners; a reformed international financial system that can scale down illicit outflows of money from the continent and a reformed global system that can anchor a multi-polar world to enable Africans evolve development models that work for them. In Obama’s words, “Africa is on the move.” Africa is the last continent that will emerge in future as a driver of global economies. Africans must shun the beggar mentality and take charge of their destiny.

The author [email protected] is Director of Inter Region Economic Network and Publisher of the African Executive Magazine.

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