Description
The global order is in metamorphosis, driven by international climate politics, economic decline, and other geopolitical pressures. Rather than staying on the periphery of this shift, African countries have collectively begun to assert their voices on various multilateral fora. The rapid rise of China's economic investment in Africa and the continent's continued dalliance with Russia has underscored the progressively dying influence of the US in Africa. Moreover, the emergence of African agency has direct implications for Africa's relationship with the US. Pointing to the weakening of US influence, the 2022 Russian-Ukraine war brought into sharp focus the need to recalibrate US-Africa relations as many African nations chose to forgo their usual support of US positions in favor of apparent neutrality at the UN. The slow pace of its international response to the Covid-19 pandemic also dented US-Africa relations.
Global increases in food and petrol prices have threatened the continent's post-pandemic economic recovery and deepened the development financing lacunae on the continent. Faced with domestic challenges, China has been unable to fill this gap in financing as expected. The crisis has provided the US with an opening to redirect the dying relationship with the continent; President Biden's reboot of the Prosper Africa presidential initiative presents an opportunity for the relationship to gain more salience. Prosper Africa promises to promote two-way trade whilst pivoting to an investment driven relationship with continent. In a bid to 'affirm African agency', Biden is set to overhaul the US strategic partnership with Africa and move away from the apathy that historically marked its foreign policy.
This article surveys four previous US presidential initiatives for Africa and the changes in the US strategy for Africa over three administrations. It centers on the Prosper Africa Build Together campaign to answer two key questions. First, does Biden's Africa policy illustrate a pivot away from realpolitik? And second, has there been a change in how African agency interfaces with the US in the global political system? In answering these questions, this article examines the shifting connection with key strategic US partners on the continent, Nigeria and South Africa, as well as changes to its relationship with the continent.
