As the majority of African countries continue to consolidate their democratic gains in the last few decades, the role of America and who will become the president of the most powerful nation on earth has always been an important element of the continent’s transformation. The second presidency of Donald Trump is here.
As we look forward to his inauguration on January 20, it is essential to look back at how previous presidents engaged with Africa. It is worth noting that in the Barrack Obama era, the US Strategy Toward Sub-Saharan Africa, which is derived from a presidential policy directive, built on numerous accomplishments of US-Africa policy to strengthen democratic institutions, promote regional peace and security, engage with young African leaders, and promote development, trade and investment.
The Obama presidency focused more on empowering the young people to drive democratic gains and a desire for Africans to be incharge of their own destiny. While more engagement with Africa was visible, the Obama presidency made it clear that it was up to Africans to own their future in a sustainable way.
In continuing with the deep relationships established in the George Bush era, Obama supported “Africa Rising” to a cost of over $7 billion to address human rights, youth and climate change. Perceived as the son of Africa, he launched the ambitious Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders programme, which was supported by the US congress, to empower over 6,500 young people.
In US relationships with Africa, Bush is to some extent recognised by fans and critics alike to have done the most of any American president for the African continent since perhaps John F. Kennedy in the late 1960s. Bush’s The US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (Pepfar), his signature Africa initiative, has been credited with saving millions of lives on the continent. Despite backlash about the programme’s moralistic focus on abstinence, it was an unprecedented success. The programme, which has saved over 25 million lives, has cost the US taxpayers over $111 billion since it began.
When he came to power after the optimistic Obama era, Trump never set foot in Africa, but initiated some engagement through the department of state. For critics of Trump, escalating tensions between two long-standing American allies—Egypt and Ethiopia—over a mega dam on a tributary of the River Nile, was probably considered the biggest diplomatic failure of his administration in US-Africa relations. It was not surprising that he turned out to be one of the US presidents who had the least engagement with Africa during his first presidency.
Many expected that when Biden came to power, he would pick right from where they left in the Obama presidency, and his administration has invested and committed to provide nearly $20 billion in health programmes in the Africa region. The policies of the Biden era sought to address issues of HIV/AIDS, malaria, family planning, reproductive health, maternal and child health, and the humanitarian and economic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.
For many observers, the recent Angola visit by Biden at the tail end of his presidency, was not just a high commitment to strengthen the US-Angola relationship, but a true sign of US’s continued collaboration with Africa to find solutions to shared challenges.
In his second term, Trump is expected to make immigration and the economy his top priorities. It is highly expected that in his four years, Trump will reset the ground rules on issues of economics, immigration and the role of the US in global politics. Africa is likely to be the least priority of his presidency as he focuses on solving local challenges such as uniting the nation, border crisis, unemployment and the widening gap between the rich and the poor.
Trump’s plans will likely be more about protecting the US from cross-border health and security threats that it faces from Mexico, to the escalating Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Palestinian conflicts.
Regardless of his goals for his final term as president, Africa will be seeking to benefit by advancing trade and commercial ties with key US firms. Africa must focus on leveraging artificial intelligence, innovation in technology, education and supporting human rights and good governance through home-grown solutions as we look forward to what the Trump presidency has for the continent.
