Category: Policy

Policy

Why Biden Should Upgrade U.S. Africa Policy

BY AUBREY HRUBY | Foreign Policy

U.S. President Donald Trump’s policy toward Africa will be remembered by its tone of disrespect, from his calling African nations “shithole countries” to canceled cabinet-level trips to the region. But while he needs to restore civility to U.S. foreign policy, President-elect Joe Biden shouldn’t fully reject Trump-era Africa policy when he takes office. In part, that’s because Africa policy is unique. It has historically been uncontroversially bipartisan, and U.S. presidents from Bill Clinton to Trump have continued their predecessors’ Africa programs.

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Policy

US foreign policy toward Africa: An African citizen perspective

E. Gyimah-Boadi, Landry Signé, and Josephine Appiah-Nyamekye Sanny | Brookings Institution

Despite the Trump administration’s announced December 2018 Africa strategy, a significant gap between the lofty blueprint and the concrete actions needed to turn it into reality remains. U.S. interests in the region are being increasingly undermined as China, Russia, and other powers move to fill the policy spaces left vacant by the United States and other Western nations.

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Policy

A look at Biden-Harris ‘Agenda for African Diaspora’

By Gerren Keith Gaynor | TheGrio

A few days before the November 3rd election, the campaign for then President-elect Joe Biden and Vice-President elect Kamala Harris released an agenda to support the African diaspora. The comprehensive plan aims to address the inequities and bolster the socio-economic conditions for citizens and immigrants of African descent living in the United States.

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Policy

There’s a lot riding on the outcome of the US presidential election in terms of Africa’s relations with China

A Trump victory in the 3 November US elections is likely to see the US intensify its attempts to roll back China’s successful Africa policy. A Biden administration will find areas in which its US-Africa policy will converge with that of China. The US and China will be more likely to cooperate within multilateral forums and will actively seek a multilateral approach to global challenges, such as peacekeeping and health matters.

By David Monyae | Daily Maverick

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Policy

The US government makes its big push for investment in Africa

by David A. Wemer | Atlantic Council

Buoyed by bipartisan commitment and a new government agency, the United States has taken new and significant steps to help drive investment in Africa, strengthen the region’s dynamic economies, create lucrative opportunities for US and African businesses, and advance US foreign-policy goals in the region.

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Policy

US/Africa policy must have voices of ordinary people from across the continent

By Naunihal Singh | Africa Report

Regardless of who wins the US elections in November, analysts have argued that a process of updating and revitalising US policy towards Africa is overdue. New data from Afrobarometer’s latest round of public attitude surveys conducted across 18 African countries during 2019/2020 provide several guideposts for US policy makers.

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Policy

US-Africa trade relations: Why is AGOA better than a bilateral free trade agreement?

By Gracelin Baskaran | Brookings Institution

In recent months, the U.S. began negotiations for a bilateral free trade agreement with Kenya. These negotiations are aligned with the current administration’s vision for trade reciprocity rather than unilateral trade preference programs. Although these negotiations could produce the first bilateral trade agreement between the U.S. and a sub-Saharan African country, a shift from regional preferential trade agreements to bilateral free trade agreements could undermine the growth of smaller countries, who may not be of enough economic interest to the United States.

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Policy

‘Green New Deal in Africa’ on Trump’s list of foreign aid cuts

By Dave Boyer

Money for a “Green New Deal in Africa” and a solar panel project for Central Asia are among the targets for the Trump White House as it aims to slash what it sees as a bloated U.S. foreign aid budget.

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Policy

Ethiopia’s financial reforms hold promise for its diaspora business community

By Haleluya Hadero

Ethiopia’s parliament this week passed a bill to allow members of the Ethiopian diaspora, who have taken up nationalities in other countries, to invest, buy shares, and set up lending businesses in the country’s state-dominated financial sector.

It’s the latest step in a general push to liberalize the country’s economy. The government has previously said it will privatize Ethio Telecom, the state-owned telecommunication monopoly.

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