Obama’s mixed bag of goodies
What you need to know:
- During a press briefing at the end of the US-Africa Leaders Summit on Wednesday night, President Barrack Obama added to the numerous commitments he had made before by declaring a massive plan to boost security.
- The US and Kenya signed a Customs Mutual Assistance Agreement (CMAA) which is supposed to provide legal guidelines for information-sharing in prevention and investigation of customs offences.
African leaders left Washington, DC on Wednesday with a mixed-bag of pledges from the United States Government.
The commitments were given in line with challenges the African countries were grappling with: terrorism, health, women empowerment, wildlife crimes, democracy and governance and of course trade.
During a press briefing at the end of the US-Africa Leaders Summit on Wednesday night, President Barrack Obama added to the numerous commitments he had made before by declaring a massive plan to boost security.
Under this package, President Obama announced the Security Governance Initiative (SGI). This will be a joint project between the United States and six African partners that offers a comprehensive approach to improving security and capacity to tackle threats.
Kenya, Ghana, Mali, Niger, Nigeria and Tunisia were chosen because they have “demonstrated partnership with the United States, expressed a desire to strengthen its security sector, and committed to the core elements of the initiative.”
That means Kenya will tap into the $65 million(Sh5.6 billion) to be offered initially for SGI. SGI is supposed to assist African countries tap into shared data and agree upon security goals.
CUSTOM OFFENCES
The US and Kenya signed a Customs Mutual Assistance Agreement (CMAA) which is supposed to provide legal guidelines for information-sharing in prevention and investigation of customs offences.
On trade, President Obama announced during the US-Africa Business Forum, that $33 billion(Sh2.8 trillion) in new components by the US government and partners to boost US economic engagement in Africa.
The steps include creating standards for all of Africa, improving infrastructure such as power where Kenya will be part of beneficiaries for a $26 billion(Sh2.2 trillion) cumulative investment to improve access to electricity.
African countries are likely to benefit from a proposal to extend the Africa Growth Opportunity Act (Agoa) which is due to expire in 2015. Agoa has been giving duty-free privilege since 2000 to exports from Sub-Saharan Africa to the United States.
On combating wildlife crime, Kenya, South Africa, Gabon, Togo, Tanzania and other African countries that depend on wildlife tourism for revenue could be beneficiaries of US support against poaching. They are the countries facing extinction of endangered game.
USAID is putting $26 million(Sh2.2 billion) in Africa “to develop new solutions by working with local communities, governments and other partners,” while the US government will invest $60 million(Sh5.2 billion) for the National Strategy for Combating Wildlife Trafficking.
On the final day, President Obama announced his government has collaborated with partners to raise an additional $4 billion(Sh348 billion) in investments to support maternal and child health as well as delivery of vaccines and drugs.
For a continent where many women deliver at home, it means there could be more live births than before.
