Biden: US 'All In' on Africa's Future

Facts

• US Pres. Biden on Wednesday told the 49 African leaders attending the US-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington that "the United States is 'all-in' on Africa's future."
• Biden pledged over $15B in new commitments and deals with African nations on projects including in the sectors of sustainable energy, connectivity, finance, health, and infrastructure.
• Washington also agreed to a memorandum of understanding with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat. When fully implemented AfCFTA will reportedly create a $3.4T continent-wide market.
• Earlier this week, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan also signaled that the Biden admin. was set to provide $55B in economic, health, and security funding over the next three years to support Africa in achieving its development goals in line with the African Union's "Agenda 2063."
• The three-day summit, the second such event since 2014, opened Tuesday and reportedly aims to revitalize Washington's engagement with Africa amid competitors like China and Russia increasing their influence on the continent. In recent years, the EU and Turkey have also held their own respective African summits.
• US Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin on Tuesday also cautioned African leaders at a panel against alleged "destabilizing" activities by China and Russia in Africa — alleging Beijing's lack of transparency and Moscow's continued trade in "cheap weapons" and deployment of mercenaries.

Sources: Reuters, Bloomberg, White House, Al Arabiya, CNN, and RFI.

Narratives

• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Global Times. Though Washington pretends that it wants to close the growing trust gap between the US and Africa, the Biden admin. still sees Africa merely as a pawn in its strategic goal of competing with China and Russia. However, African leaders have long known that the US isn't concerned with cooperation for mutual benefit. Africa is unlikely to benefit from the summit in a meaningful way.
• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Quartz. Biden's influence on the US-Africa summit includes vital cooperation on economics, health, sustainability, and governance. The US is interconnected to all African nations, and this forum is an opportunity to enhance a deep partnership for years to come.