US Vice President Kamala Harris recently embarked on a nine-day tour of Africa, visiting Ghana, Tanzania, and Zambia. Her trip, aimed at strengthening partnerships throughout Africa and advancing shared efforts on security and economic prosperity, comes after visits from several other top US officials, including Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, UN Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, First Lady Jill Biden, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
While Harris has avoided making references to Washington's rivals, the growing competition for influence in Africa between the US and China loomed large during her tour. All three countries on her itinerary stand out as emblems of China's vast footprint across Africa and the goodwill it has earned among the continent's people. Despite many Africans holding favorable views of the US and welcoming the opportunity to cultivate tangible relations, Harris' travels underscored the uphill task Washington faces if it genuinely desires to compete against China and other powers to be viewed as a trusted partner on the continent.
Harris' tour began in Ghana, where officials have embraced efforts to strengthen ties with the African diaspora. She announced that the US would donate $100 million to five coastal West African countries to support conflict prevention and stabilization efforts there. Harris highlighted the nation's arts and visited the Cape Coast Castle, a seaside fort where enslaved Africans were held captive before being loaded onto ships bound for the Americas.
However, China's vast footprint is inescapable in the three countries she visited, as Chinese firms have invested vast sums in efforts to ramp up infrastructure development in all of them. Harris' announcement of $100 million from the US for five West African states, $20 million for each country, is a telling indication of its priorities.
Critics argue that Washington views the continent mainly as a set of problems to be managed, leavened with the occasional nod to it as a source of entertainment. They suggest that US policies reinforce negative incentives that entrench the role of the military in the states involved, have done little to stem the tide of extremist violence in West Africa's Sahel region, and are poorly suited to modern realities.
To genuinely compete with China and other powers to be viewed as a trusted partner on the continent, the US needs to focus on providing more alternatives to what China offers. This would go a long way to building the kind of influence in Africa that it claims to desire. Harris' visit is a good start, but Washington must follow through on its commitments to truly build stronger relations with African countries.
inputs from// WRPR
