U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit

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When President Obama announced his intention to convene the first-ever U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit, policymakers, pundits, and other interested parties made numerous predictions as to how the historic event would fare, especially in comparison with the summits convened by China, the European Union, and others. Now that the activity of what came to be known as “Africa week” has settled down, it is time to take stock of what was achieved and what comes next.

So what was achieved at the U.S. Africa Leaders Summit?…

Continue Reading Emerging Opportunities from the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit

In transforming the relationship between the U.S. and Africa, the Obama administration has sought to shift the role of government from giver of aid to facilitator of investment and trade.  Early readouts from the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit suggest that the U.S. private sector is embracing this approach with open arms.  In the past two days,…

This past week, National Security Advisor Ambassador Susan Rice and Assistant Secretary of State for Africa Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield provided insights into the upcoming U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit.  To put the event in context, the officials stressed that the Summit is not the sign of a new or renewed relationship with Africa nor a reaction to…

The U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means is currently considering the renewal and strengthening of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).  AGOA is the cornerstone of the U.S.-African commercial relationship, and the African Union (AU) has called for a 15 year extension of the Act, from 2015 to 2030.  Since its enactment in…

From June 14-15, African leaders, businesses and investors gathered for the Dakar Finance Summit for Africa’s Infrastructure–organized by the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD)–to discuss the financing of major national and regional infrastructure projects.  The Summit’s hallmark feature was the creation of the Dakar Agenda for Action (DAA), which acknowledges African states’ desire…

On August 4-6, President Obama will welcome over forty-five African heads of state and government to Washington D.C. for the first-ever U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit.  The U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit reflects the administration’s desire to forge a deeper relationship with African governments especially as it concerns  trade and investment,  Africa’s security and democratic development.  The first two…