Vice President Kamala Harris has embarked on a week-long tour of Africa with the aim of increasing US investment in the continent and boosting economic growth. The visit comes at a time when the US is seeking to counter the growing influence of China and Russia in Africa. Both countries have invested heavily in Africa in recent years, particularly in infrastructure and resource development. Russia has also deployed troops from the private military contractor Wagner Group in several African countries.
Harris began her tour in Ghana, where she met with President Nana Akufo-Addo and visited a castle from which people were forcibly sent to the US during the slave trade era. She will also visit Tanzania and Zambia, where she plans to announce public- and private-sector investments.
The Biden administration has sought to strengthen ties with Africa as part of its efforts to offer an alternative to rival powers. However, African nations are aware that there may be ulterior motives behind this push for a closer alliance. The US has a long history of meddling in African affairs, supporting dictators over liberation movements, and pushing for US multinationals’ access to African markets and resources.
Observers say that the flurry of diplomacy is about the geopolitical struggles that are going on, and the fear in Washington that it’s losing ground, specifically now in Africa where there is a scramble for resources, including rarer minerals to power the Green Revolution.
In December, ahead of the US-Africa Leaders Summit, Washington committed $55bn to the continent over the next three years. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced $150m in new humanitarian aid for Africa’s Sahel region during a visit to Niger this month. This came less than a year after he visited South Africa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Morocco, Algeria, and Rwanda.
While the US is seeking to counter the influence of China and Russia in Africa, African nations are not naive. They do not want to choose between the US, China, and Russia, but will do what they feel is in their best interest. The US is saying that it’s all in the past now, and they are partners, and they can all be successful. However, African nations are aware of the US’s history of meddling in African affairs.
Harris’s visit is a further statement of the long and enduring relationship and friendship between the people of the United States and those who live on the continent. However, African nations will be cautious about the US’s intentions and will do what they feel is in their best interest.