US President Joe Biden has called for the African Union to be permanently included in the G20. One African country is now a member, South Africa. The G20 is an international financial and economic advisory body, consisting of nineteen countries and the European Union. “Africa should be on the table in every room where global challenges are discussed, in every institution where discussions take place,” Biden said.
Since Monday, the United States has invited delegations from 49 African countries to a conference in Washington. The presidents of Angola, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda, among others, attended the meeting. Washington said ahead of the conference that it aims to “deepen and broaden the United States’ long-standing partnership with Africa.” Topics discussed included climate change, food security and trade partnerships.
China and Russia
The United States and other Western powers are seeing their influence diminish on the continent, which is home to a fifth of the world’s population. Over the years, China has invested billions of dollars in Africa, while Russia is directly or indirectly involved in conflicts, as is the case in the Sahel region and Libya. Sub-Saharan Russia has also been the largest arms supplier for a few years now. There is also little enthusiasm in Africa for taking sides in the war in Ukraine, despite Western pressure.
On the sidelines of the summit, Biden spoke with the leaders of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Liberia, Madagascar, Nigeria and Sierra Leone. Elections will be held soon in those countries. The United States has long been concerned about the state of democracy in African countries after a series of coups, including in Guinea, Mali and Burkina Faso. On Thursday, Biden promised to release $165 million (155.7 million euros) to support elections in Africa in 2023.
Visiting Africa?
Biden also said on the last day of the summit with African leaders that he would be the first US president since 2015 to visit sub-Saharan Africa. “Some of you have invited me to visit your countries,” Biden told his guests, among others. “I said be careful what you wish for because I might come.”
Obama and Trump
Biden did not mention a date for an African visit. Barack Obama was the last US president to visit a sub-Saharan African country. He was in Kenya and Ethiopia in July 2015. Obama’s successor, Donald Trump, was the first president in four decades not to pay him a visit while in office.
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