The Us-Africa leaders summit adds to an unending long list of summits, forums and conferences organized in the name of or about Africa. The three day summit was scheduled to run from 13th to 15th of December. There has been numerous of such summit though this was just the second Us-Africa leaders summit to be held, the first one being held back in 2014. Different countries have went on to organize and hold their own Africa summits during the Us-Africa summit eight year break. Examples include Eu-Africa summit, France-Africa summit, Canada-Africa summit, Turkey-Africa summit,UK-Africa summit and so on. The sheer plenitude of these summits poses a lot of questions than answers. what is so special about Africa? And is it always about Africa or the interests organizing countries? These are just a few chosen questions. Political commentators have in several occasions mentioned that Africa will be at the center of the next century. This might be the most important reason but not the sole one. So once again,why are there so many conferences and summits on Africa?
The wrongs
These conferences are always wrong on many fronts. First,a single country such as Canada, Turkey,Saudi Arabia or even Iran can offer very little to Africa. Lest we forget that Africa is the second largest continent in the world with fifty four countries and a population of 1.3 billion people. So what remarkable assistance can Canada offer to these countries collectively. From this angle I find these forums and summits so much demeaning to Africa and its people. It is invariably accompanied with a stringent colonial mentality. A good example is this year’s Us-Africa leaders summit. The president of the United States Joe Biden is giving 55 billion dollars to African countries in the next three years to cover various sectors of development. This news has been received with much joy but let’s do the math first. In three years that simply implies that each year Africa will receive approximately 18 billion dollars. This must further be apportioned equitably among the forty nine countries attending the summit. After breaking down to its basic element,we find that each country will only receive a fraction of it which might not achieve any significant development as expected.
Another deliberate problem in the organization of these African summit is the location. Virtually all these conferences are organized and hosted in the country of the host. Be it Paris, Beijing or Washington. I mean if it was supposed to be for the benefit of Africa, would it only be prudent if it was hosted in the continent? Everyone has realized that Africa is rich in mineral resources, agricultural land as well as a vibrant market and cheap labour for their commodities and hence all the rush. It is always about the interests of imperialistic states. Conveying these conferences in cool air-conditioned conference rooms in Paris, Berlin or London attended by leaders who have lost touch with the realities in their respective countries does not help the cause of Africans themselves.
Cold war 2.0
A new cold war is upon us and Africa is still the playground for major powers. China, Russia,USA,UK and the EU are all in a race to outdo the other in their imperialistic ambitions. And just like the Berlin conference in which the African cake was divided without African representation, this too seems like a repeat of history. The US is however late just like the Germans during the scramble for Africa. The Chinese are the frontrunners with Russia increasing it’s footprint massively. This year alone has seen numerous American, Russian, Chinese and the European leaders flocking the continent in their quest for supremacy. French president Emmanuel Macron, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov,US secretary of state Anthony Blinken among others have all visited the continent this year. How blessed is Africa! No it’s not a blessing, it’s a curse! Biden has scheduled a sub-saharan Africa tour next year in an effort to extend American reach in Africa.
The Whitehouse has made it clear that the conference is all about Africa and not China or Russia’s involvement in the continent. But,we all know the truth. The US is moving to counter Chinese influence and to a lesser extent Russian. Floyd Austin,the united states defense secretary has categorically warned African leaders at the summit of the destabilizing effect of engaging with China and Russia. In this charm offensive,Biden is offering Africa a chance to become permanent members of the united nations security council and the G20 something the leaders have been calling for a long time. In addition,the us is also promising 55 billion dollars worth of cash over three years. All this in an effort to counter Chinese and Russian influence. Looking at it carefully,the idea that Africa joins both the G20 and the security council as a continent doesn’t auger well with many. The admission should be done on a country by country basis to represent the whole continent. Countries like South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya and Botswana are in their own might worthy of a place at the table. In the case of the us proposition, Africa will be represented by the African Union which has been proven to be incompetent time and again.
This second cold war, unfortunately has all the characteristics of the first one. Neutral countries like non-aligned movement ones are forced to choose between US and China as well as Russia. Leaders are again faced by the same choices as the leaders during the seventies. Choosing one side will be disastrous while playing all powers involved will be an impossible task. However,one thing is clear. Africa is slowly becoming the center of the world and the next century might be Africa’s. Hoodwinking or not, the US, China and Russia have realized that Africa is no longer a pushover.
Anonymous 