Africa seeks mutual partnership rather than big brother influence, experts say after US-Africa summit

Photo taken on Dec. 8, 2022 shows the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., the United States. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

Cavince Adhere, a Kenya-based international relations scholar, told Xinhua that human rights, U.S. national security interests and the promotion of democracy do not appeal to many African countries. Africa, instead, is interested in a mutual partnership where the continent is an equal player on the international scene.

"Improving governance on the continent shouldn't be based on views and feelings of external partners like the United States. Rather, it is a function of the internal desire for African countries to modernize their governance frameworks to deliver development for the people," Adhere said.

Many of those promises made by the United States echo past pledges by Washington to strengthen its partnerships with the African continent, according to Adhere.

"Two factors are likely to hamper the delivery of the promises. First is the reliance on the Western private sector that has often looked at Africa as a risky place to invest," he said.

"Secondly, the insistence of the United States to use its own value judgment and system in designing cooperation agreements with African countries. Africans want to be treated as equal partners and wouldn't wish to be seen in Western perspectives," he added.

Eric Ndushabandi, a director at the Rwanda-based Institute of Research and Dialogue for Peace, said the summit was an attempt to restore the confidence of African leaders in the United States.

A local employee works inside the Coca-Cola bottling plant in Sebeta town of Oromia regional state, Ethiopia, on May 31, 2022. (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde)

However, as the African continent is in a difficult position especially following the wrath of the COVID-19 pandemic and prolonged drought, African experts have also expressed concerns over geopolitics and U.S. demands as the United States embarks on a charm offensive to lure Africa.

"American aid is always accompanied by conditions that clearly interfere in the internal affairs of the country ... when this does not work, America proceeds to threaten officials with sanctions," according to Jean Emmanuel Pondi, professor of political science and international relations at the University of Yaounde I in Cameroon.

African experts also argued that while the summit seeks to enhance the partnership between the United States and Africa across mutually agreed areas, the United States should also view the continent's cooperation with other partners with an open mind.

"All partners are welcome based on their utilitarian value. Africa wants to engage with the United States on its own terms and not those set by the United States," Adhere said.