Harris or Trump? What the outcome of the 2024 U.S. presidential election portends for America's Africa policy

Despite the two presidential candidates' different approaches, US-Africa policy will remained hobbled by historical blinkers and the harsh realities of geopolitics in Washington.

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I: Republicans have initiated more impactful US-Africa policy over the last 25 years; but Democrats are increasingly catching up

The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 blueprint has received a lot of bad press throughout this election cycle (with good reason). However, from an African perspective, the brief section on U.S. Africa policy actually isn’t entirely bad. Among the five focus areas, three are on solid ground.

Assuming the blueprint will shape Donald Trump’s Africa policy if he wins, what are we to make of its stated goals?

Let’s start with the two weak points. The focus on China’s alleged “malign” influence in Africa as well as the thinking about human security in the region purely through the lens of counterterrorism are patently misguided. China’s economic rise has had an unambiguous positive impact on the Continent over the…