On America's structural inability to effectively compete with China in Africa

Institutions and policy tools at the core of US Africa Policy are ill-suited for the times

I: Turning over a new leaf?

After nearly a decade without high-level visits, 2023 is shaping to be a year in which American officialdom pays public diplomatic attention to African States. President Joe Biden will visit later this year, while Vice President Kamala Harris is visiting Ghana, Tanzania, and Zambia this week. This follows recent visits by First Lady Jill Biden (Kenya and Namibia), UN Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield (Somalia, Ghana, Kenya, and Mozambique), Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen (Senegal, Zambia, and South Africa), and Secretary of State Antony Blinken (Ethiopia and Niger).

The diplomatic charm offensive seems designed to build on the US-Africa Leaders Summit last December during which Washington showcased its intention to reset Africa-US relations from aid to trade. The reset was sorely needed. As I argued before, the history of Africa-US relations has so far been decidedly underwhelming.

Most African attendees of the December Summit that I have spoken with were …