VP Harris Underscores USA is All-In on Africa
On 28 March 2023, US VP Kamala Harris delivered a speech in Accra, Ghana, to hammer in the point that President Biden made at the US-Africa Leaders Summit that “the US is all-in on Africa.”
First of all, VP Harris highlighted that by 2050, one in four people in the world will be African. In addition, the median age in Africa is only 19 which makes Africa one of the youngest continents in the world and endowing the continent with a huge demographic dividend.
Due to its size and weight, Africa will have a critical role to play in dealing with global challenges. In particular, Africa will make a significant contribution in the following areas：
Ghana is the first stop on this Africa tour. Next, VP Harris will be visiting Tanzania and Zambia.
Enlisting star power, US VP Harris invited African diaspora stars Sheryl Lee Ralph and Idris Elba to join her on this tour. She also placed great emphasis to #WomenEmpowerment in Africa since the involvement of women in social, economic and political will be critical to a balanced and inclusive development.
She visited the Vibrate Space for artistic creation in Accra which is equipped with the latest performance recording equipment. Along local artists Black Sherif, Amaarae, Mensa, Joey B, Aria Boss, TMSK DDJ and Poetra Asantewaa, she participated in a Spotify Masterclass for aspiring musicians and singers.
Another promising area for US-Africa cooperation is in the field of innovation. Africa pioneered mobile payments with mPesa in Kenya. Several startups are developing #Fintech apps which allow users to leapfrog into the modern age. With its rich tradition in tech innovation and financing in Silicon Valley, the US sees great potential for partnership with Africa in the technology space.
VP Harris acknowledged the positive contribution played by Ghana to promote #PeaceAndSecurity in the region. The US will provide USD 100 million to Ghana and another four countries in West Africa to assist them to fight terrorism.
Painting a broad historical pathos, she expressed the wish that the US-Africa will move from a painful to a fruitful future. Africans are rather skeptical about the commitment of the USA towards Africa and argue that unless the USA matches China in scope and scale on the continent, then all this will be ‘just nice talk.’