Editorial
Will an Obama Term II have an Africa Policy?
But in some sort of premonition, Obama did three seminal things in 2012: In June, he launched his overall strategy for Africa, prioritizing democracy, economic development, trade and investment, and human rights in Africa. In August, he sent Secretary of State Hillary Clinton with a plane of Fortune 500 company executives on a multi African nation tour with Mrs. Clinton offering business facilitation services like government is supposed to. Business deals were cut and Clinton even took time to ‘blast’ China’s ‘colonialist’ mentality. Then in November, after his re-election, his acting Secretary of Commerce, Rebecca Blank launched the Doing Business in Africa campaign. All these were almost unprecedented in the country’s history going back 35 years. In doing this, it seems as though Obama is choosing to be smart and succinct over being overt and overhauling. Perhaps he is right. Maybe AGOA needs a nip & tuck to become truly transformational.
Summarily, our estimation is that although Obama may still launch something we call a New Deal for Africa, the reality is that he has already set the stage for the kind of investment that, like a vulture, patiently waits for China to put roads into Africa alongside other infrastructure and then swoops in to fill these roads with American cars. Besides, any sensible economist knows that if America were to turn its huge investment arsenal on at once in Africa, the continent would literally drown in its own dire need for resources.
Dennis Matanda,
Editor – [email protected]
