Washington, DC, and President Joe Biden will host leaders from across the African continent for the United States-Africa Leaders’ Summit which kicks off Tuesday, December 13, and is scheduled to last through Thursday, December 15, 2022.
According to the information published on the website of the US Department of State, the aim of the summit is to demonstrate the US enduring commitment to Africa, underscoring the importance of its relations and of the increased cooperation on shared global priorities.
Fifty African heads of state – 49 delegations from African states and one from the African Union (AU) – are expected to attend the summit that will seek to help promote regional peace and stability, facilitate economic cooperation between its participants, develop health security and to strengthen the global response to climate change.
Exuded from the summit were Eritrea, which has no diplomatic relations with the United States, as well as Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea, and Sudan, which have got their AU membership suspended.
Because of the large number of world leaders gathering in one place, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser requested the summit to be designated as a national special security event by the Secret Service.
Several high-level sessions have been placed on the agenda of the first day, including US Trade Representative Katherine Tai’s meeting with trade ministers from African Growth and Opportunity Act-eligible countries, a forum of African and Diaspora young leaders, a meeting between high-ranking health officials and experts as well as a discussion between US and African diplomats, senior defense, and development officials.
According to says Dr. Gerald Horne, professor of history at the University of Houston, Texas, the upcoming summit is part of the Biden administration’s attempts to undermine Beijing’s growing influence in Africa, which, according to him, is a sign of desperation.
With the trade volume reaching $254 billion – four times the volume of trade between the United States and African countries- in 2021, China is Africa’s largest trading partner and the largest source of direct investment.
Be the first to comment