Africa needs a partner not a boss- The US-Africa summit is not a meeting of equals

The facts are clear, the US is keen on advancing a dominating and domineering agenda in Africa. Thus far, President Biden is not scheduled to hold a single bilateral meeting or session with any of the African leaders invited to the summit which speaks volume. It is not a gathering of equals.

Meanwhile, China is on course to boost commercial interests with Africa. As of December 1, 2022, an additional nine African countries will enjoy wider tariff-free access to the eastern nation.

Nine other African nations having been enjoying similar benefits since September 2022. It is evident that China is on track to boost African imports to $300 billion before the end of 2025.

Besides the US, Russia, Turkey and Japan similarly hold African summits with lofty goals but no concrete results or outcomes. Meanwhile, the numbers are clear that China is rising to the challenge of the profile of an equal partner in a continent where countries have diverse needs.

While China and the US are among the most critical external stakeholders on matters security, peace and prosperity on the African continent, the US is keen on using Africa as a tool in a competition with China.

China, on the other hand, is demonstrating a clear understanding that the world order has significantly changed, requiring a shift in the manner in which powerful nations engage developing nations.

This Africa-US summit appears to be a thinly veiled knee-jerk reaction to weaken ties between China and Africa. But an attempt to contain China’s influence in Africa is bound to fail because China-Africa ties are built on a friendship actively and mutually nurtured over the last 20 years without political interference.

US interference in politics across the African continent continues. The historical and strategic partnership between China and Africa is periodically evaluated and elevated above politics.

This consistent evaluation proves that Chinese-African ties run deep, are sustainable and mutually beneficial, providing a platform to address the most pressing needs facing the world today, and more so, developing countries in Africa including climate change.

The same cannot be said of relations and ties between the US and Africa. The former is rattled because China and Africa have found a common ground from which they launch actions that have had significant impact on the growth and development on the African continent.

Africa’s message to the US that the continent has all it takes in terms of natural resources and human capital to launch a new era of accelerated development have largely been ignored. There is a push to contain Africa as a recipient of aid and to derail China’s momentum on the African continent.

An uphill task, for Africa and China are matching to a similar beat when it comes to accelerating development. Their developmental paths are interlinked and intertwined on common ground with common vital interests that will last for generations to come.

By Joyce Chimbi for the Global Times

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