The United States has already provided eleven billion dollars for the continent this year, and Biden now wants to establish a nutritional partnership with the African Union. He also announces a visit to the continent – the first by a US president since 2015.
The United States on Thursday pledged an additional $2.5 billion in food aid to Africa to help meet rising prices that have exacerbated hunger on the continent.
The White House announced the new aid pledge before President Joe Biden spoke at the conclusion of a three-day Africa summit in Washington. His administration previously highlighted the role of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in prices: “Russia’s brutal war in Ukraine has resulted in a food and energy disruption that is affecting all of our economies,” said Vice President Kamala Harris. She told African leaders that “international rules and norms are under threat – for example sovereignty and territorial integrity, free trade and peaceful settlement of disputes”.
The White House said the $2.5 billion will provide emergency relief and medium- to long-term support to strengthen Africa’s food systems and supply markets. The United States would also seek a partnership with the African Union to meet food needs. The United States has already provided $11 billion in food aid to the continent this year, according to the White House.
Biden wants to work for democracy on the continent
US President Joe Biden on Thursday reiterated his support for a bigger role for Africa in the world while pledging to work for democracy on a continent where China and Russia have gained influence. “The United States is fully behind Africa,” Biden told nearly 50 African leaders who spent three days in wintry Washington, which also included a gala dinner at the White House. “Africa belongs at every table – in every room for global challenges that are discussed,” said Biden.
Biden, who in September called for a permanent seat for Africa on the UN Security Council, advocated a permanent role for the African Union in the Group of 20 economies and said he would plan a visit – the first by a US president since 2015 – to the sub-Saharan Africa plan. The summit is the first of its kind since African leaders visited Barack Obama in 2014, whose successor Donald Trump made no secret of his disinterest in Africa.