This is what Africa really needs from its partnership with the United States

President Barack Obama recently played host to 50 African heads of state and government at the historic US-Africa Leadership Summit in Washington DC.

It was the first summit of its kind between a sitting US President and African leaders and a testament to the growing relevance of Africa in global the geopolitics.

Africa offers immense opportunities in terms of abundant natural resources, new technologies, investments, access to potential markets, and new types of consumers.

Although the US has been relatively slow to react to these dynamics, hosting the summit is a sign that it can no longer stay on the sidelines.

To emphasise this point, President Obama announced several steps that the US is taking to boost ties with Africa.

First, he called on the US Congress to renew and enhance the African Growth and Opportunity Act, which makes it easier for African countries to export products to the US.

He also promised continued partnership with Africa to build the necessary infrastructure for a flourishing economy.

American corporate giants, including Coca-Cola, Blackstone, GE, and the hotel group Marriott, made commitments worth billions of dollars to expand their businesses in Africa.

However, commendable as these measures may appear, they represent in the main what the US wants to do for Africa and not what Africa expects from America.

KEY DEMANDS

The following suggestions from African political and business leaders, academics, activists, and youths represent the continent’s key demands.

The African expectations could be broken down into six proposals, the first of which is assistance in tackling insecurity and violence.

Armed conflicts, maritime piracy, terrorism, transnational criminal networks, territorial disputes, cattle rustling, and organised crime are among the challenges facing many African countries.

With US intelligence and military assistance, African countries such as Somalia, Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, Mali, and Libya would be better placed to defeat terrorism unleashed by groups such as Al-Qaeda, Ansar Dine, Al-Shabaab, and Boko Haram.

Another area of possible collaboration is strengthening democracy, human rights, and good governance.

Though African countries have made some progress in terms of political and economic governance and human rights, challenges remain.

TRADE EXPANSION

Thirdly, the US can intervene to strengthen weak institutional capacity, which poses a major obstacle to long-term economic growth in Africa.

For instance, the Nepad Capacity Development Initiative, whose aim is to build the capacities of continental institutions in collaboration with the African Capacity Building Foundation, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, and the African Development Bank, could leverage on America’s financial and technical support to enable it to focus on institutions that enhance the capacities of African countries to implement sound macroeconomic and social sector policies.

Trade expansion and the broadening of the export base offer huge economic growth potential to African countries and their foreign partners.

However, most of these countries have not fully benefited from trade with the US it trades more with mineral-rich countries such as Angola, Nigeria, and South Africa.

Also, African exports are less diversified and highly dependent on raw materials and simple processed products. The US-African partnership should aim to expand trade by investing in manufacturing, services, tourism, textile, and agriculture.

Finally, US investment inflows into Africa remain limited compared to China and the European Union. America needs to make strategic investments in infrastructure to help lower the cost of doing business in Africa.

The slowdown in the global economy raises some implications for how the US should see Africa. One spin-off could be beneficial Africa-US cooperation.

Africa believes the US should see its economic development as an important tool in its quest to reignite its own economic growth and create jobs.

The world needs a new driver of consumer demand, a new market, a new dynamo. This driver can be Africa.

Prof Nnadozie is the Executive Secretary of the African Capacity Building Foundation in Harare, Zimbabwe.