U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit

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

A little over a year after President Obama first announced Power Africa, the Administration has released the Power Africa Annual Report.  According to the Annual Report, the initiative has “helped facilitate the financial close of transactions which expect to produce nearly 2,800 MW of new generation capacity —…
Continue Reading With Billions in New Pledges, Power Africa Gains More Power

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. …
Continue Reading U.S. Companies Prove Eager To Take the Lead in Investing in Africa

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…
Continue Reading The U.S.-Africa Business Forum: A Significant Opportunity

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…
Continue Reading Strengthening U.S.-Africa Trade and Investment

At a recent event focused on the promotion of investment in Africa, top UN officials lent their voices to a message that has gained a consensus of opinion: trade and investment are crucial to achieving the development objectives across the African continent. In remarks about the “dynamism and promise”…
Continue Reading UN Leaders Advocate Channeling Investment into Development Needs

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),…
Continue Reading NEPAD Summit Introduces Flagship Infrastructure Projects Just Before The Anticipated U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit

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…

Continue Reading U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit: A Historic Opportunity