Politics
Obama trip to Africa seeking to increase American investments on an increasingly important continent
A younger Barack Obama with his grandmother during his first trip to Africa to visit the family of his father, Barack Obama, Sr. PHOTO/Maya Soetoro-Ng
President Barack Obama’s upcoming weeklong trip to Africa will mark his most significant personal investment in the fast growing continent since taking office.
The White House is hoping the return on that investment will be an increased foothold for U.S. businesses on a continent where China and other emerging economies are already major players.
Casting a shadow over Obama’s trip will be the health of beloved former South African President Nelson Mandela, who has been hospitalized for two weeks. Family and government officials had initially indicated that the 94-year-old’s condition was improving, but the White House said it would defer to Mandela’s family for decisions on whether the anti-apartheid leader will be able to meet with Obama.
‘‘We want whatever is in the best interest of his health,’’ said Ben Rhodes, Obama’s deputy national security adviser.
Obama’s two-day visit to South Africa will be bookended by stops in Senegal and Tanzania. The trip was structured to give Obama a footprint in East, West and South Africa and to highlight stable democracies.
While Obama has devoted significant time to emerging economies in Asia and Latin America, he’s spent just one day in sub-Saharan Africa since taking office, a 24-hour visit to Ghana in 2009. Meanwhile, countries like China, Malaysia, Brazil and Turkey have been upping their investments in Africa.
‘‘There are other countries getting in the game,’’ Rhodes said. ‘‘If the United States is not leading in Africa, we’re going to fall behind in a very important region in the world.’’
