Status: 12/16/2022 7:58 a.m
The US-Africa Summit ended with a promise of financial aid and closer cooperation. US President Biden announced billions for investment and famine relief.
The three-day USA-Africa summit with 49 African heads of state and government ended in Washington on Thursday. US President Joe Biden promised to spend $55 billion over the next three years on investment and development on the continent. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Africa is a “significant geopolitical force”. The continent will “shape our future”.
It was the second US summit with Africa since 2014, then under the presidency of Barack Obama. Under President Donald Trump, Africa policy was sidelined. Against the backdrop of China’s growing influence, Biden and Blinken emphasized the principle of partnership with African nations and the importance of democracy.
$2.5 billion for food
Biden announced Africa would receive $2.5 billion for food. The White House said in a statement that the money would go to addressing acute famine in Africa and developing more resilient food systems. “We are dealing with a global food crisis and nowhere is it being felt more clearly than on the African continent,” Biden said at the end of the summit.
“Famine is sweeping the Horn of Africa again. High food prices and high trade barriers are straining the livelihoods of millions of people on the continent.”
Biden stresses importance of elections
Biden also announced a $100 million US Department of Defense pilot program. It should drive reforms and build African security structures.
Speaking to the presidents of Gabon, Liberia, Madagascar, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Biden underscored the importance of democratic elections. These countries are due to vote in 2023. In the United States, the midterm elections in the fall strengthened American democracy, Biden said. Elections are not synonymous with democracy, but a cornerstone of functioning democracies.
African Union wants veto power in UN Security Council
Before the summit, Macky Sall, President of Senegal and Chair of the African Union (AU), stressed in an interview with the newspaper “New York Times” that Africa should no longer stand on the sidelines. He called for the AU to be a member of the G-20 community of states and for two permanent AU seats with veto rights in the United Nations Security Council.
Biden said he supports AU membership in the G-20 and Security Council reform, including “permanent representation for Africa”.