Washington faces pressure to redefine its role in Africa

As the United States prepares for Saturday's celebrations marking 250 years since declaring independence, African analysts said Washington is facing growing pressure to redefine its engagement with a continent that is increasingly pursuing its own independence.

They said shifting trade patterns, changing aid policies and a stronger emphasis on geopolitical competition have prompted many African countries to diversify their international partnerships.

Analysts also say the shift reflects a changing global order in which African countries are placing greater emphasis on partnerships that advance their own development priorities rather than relying heavily on any single external power.

Raphael Obonyo, a Kenyan public policy analyst, said Washington needs to significantly strengthen its engagement with Africa if it hopes to remain an influential long-term partner.

"(US President Donald) Trump inherited waning US strength in Africa. More effort is still required to strengthen and increase US-Africa relations," Obonyo said, adding that the United States should reinforce partnerships with African countries through greater investment in trade, infrastructure, agriculture, rather than allowing the relationship to be driven primarily by geopolitical competition.

Obonyo noted that US trade with Africa has declined significantly over the past several decades.

Obonyo said reductions in development assistance and tariff policies introduced by the US in recent years had also raised concerns across the continent over Washington's long-term commitment.

"There is a long-standing perception that the US doesn't care about Africa — that Africa just doesn't rank that high in US priorities compared with other regions," he said.

Gordon K'achola, founder of the Africa Center for Diplomatic Affairs in Kenya, said recent US policy shifts had encouraged African countries to broaden, rather than narrow, their international partnerships.

"The America First policy has made US-Africa relations more turbulent. However, this has only led to Africa having more choices than it did decades ago by engaging other partners," he said.

"This is not about choosing one partner over another," K'achola said. "It is about protecting Africa's interests by working with everyone who is willing to contribute to the continent's development on the basis of mutual respect."

He added that Africa's rapidly growing population, abundant natural resources and expanding consumer market offer enormous opportunities if international partners focus on manufacturing, technology transfers and clean energy rather than viewing the continent primarily through the lens of strategic competition.

Lemmy Nyongesa Mulaku, a Kenyan expert on China-Africa relations, said the African Growth and Opportunity Act was introduced in 2000 to expand trade between the United States and eligible sub-Saharan African countries, and has remained the cornerstone of Washington's economic engagement with the continent, although it has not fully achieved its objectives because of structural imbalances between the two sides.

He said that many African governments increasingly favor a policy of alignment that does not favor any global power. Mulaku added that many African governments are seeking partnerships that support industrialization, value addition and technology transfer rather than those centered primarily on raw material extraction.

"Most governments in Africa are keen on doing business with any foreign development partner whose interests do not conflict with the economic, social and political aspirations of the continent," Mulaku said.

Yet analysts cautioned against interpreting Africa's changing partnerships as a rejection of the United States. Rather, they said many African governments are increasingly adopting a policy of "multi-alignment" — expanding cooperation with multiple global partners while seeking to avoid dependence on any single country.

As the United States enters its next 250 years, the analysts said its relationship with Africa will increasingly depend on its ability to adapt to a continent that is more assertive and more economically diverse than at any point in recent decades.

sharon@chinadailyafrica.com