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 … Continue Reading
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 — more than 25% of the 10,000 MW … Continue Reading
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, … Continue Reading
Once we get beyond the historic precedent and the inevitable traffic snarls that will be created by the 50 African delegations moving around Washington, it is fair to ask what the Summit will achieve. This is what my crystal ball suggests: Business will move to the forefront of the US-Africa agenda. Last July, President Obama … Continue Reading
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 … Continue Reading
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 … Continue Reading
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” of a continent where overall growth … Continue Reading
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 to … Continue Reading
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 … Continue Reading
