U.S. Foreign Policy toward Africa

With 17 African countries celebrating 50 years since the first proclamation of independence from colonial European powers in the 60s, the administration in Washington, DC feels its time to celebrate with African youth leaders to commemorate the significant gains made by Africans and Africa’s increasingly important voice on the world stage. With the opening of the annual U.S.-Africa Economic Forum expected to kick-off August 2, cabinet members from 38 African countries and high-level American officials will convene to deliberate on themes based on youth, governance, and opportunity.

According to Benjamin Chang, spokesman for the National Security Council (NSC), the venue will bring together young Africans, the Diaspora Community, U.S. Government officials, civil society organizations, and the private sector. The first part of the economic conference will be held in Washington, DC and will be attended by the U.S. secretaries of State, Commerce, Agriculture and the administrator of U.S. Agency for International Development. The theme of the conference will be “AGOA at 10, New Strategies for a Changing World.” The second part of the conference will be held in Kansas City, Missouri, on August 5-6. To be attended by U.S. companies and private sector representatives from a number of 38 AGOA-eligible countries, the main focus will be on agri-business.

To the serious observer of African politics, the mention of the phrase "significant gains" may seem ludicrous and out of the ordinary. Instead, what comes to mind is the horrendous political miscalculations, abject poverty, shameless totalitarianism, endless misrule and communism, protracted developmental retardations, misguided principles, vestiges of colonialism and hosts of endless political plunders wrought on the poor continent for over a half century. Instead of African youths sitting side by side with the same barefaced African leaders who fleeced the African continent, is it not better they hold these bogus leaders accountable for their breach of contracts? In anticipation of aid, for sure these 38 Afican heads of states eligible for AGOA beneficiaries will assemble with 38 empty begging bowls and shoddy projects. Because the United States prefers authoritarianism to totalitarianism for the sake of its foreign ploicy interests, no wonder many totalitarian rulers will arrive in Washington, DC in authoritarian regalia.