Biden renews his commitment to Africa thanks to investments in trade, the internet and the environment

The American President, Joe Bidenannounced this Wednesday substantial investments to improve trade with Africa and invest in internet connection projects and the fight against climate change, in an attempt to woo the African continent after years of neglect.

The president spoke at a forum of American and African companies during the three-day summit in Washington with 49 leaders from the African continent.

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“America is fully invested in the future of Africa,” said Biden, who did not mention China even once during his speech, a country that has become the first trading partner of the African continent and that has spent years cultivating ties with the leaders of the region.

Biden wanted to use the summit to relaunch the United States’ relationship with Africa after the years of inaction by his predecessor, Donald Trump (2017-2021), who in 2018 went so far as to call Haiti, El Salvador and several “shit holes” African countries.

“I want to emphasize the importance of shared successes and opportunities because when Africa succeeds, America succeeds, and honestly, the whole planet succeeds.”he remarked.

Biden made several announcements during his speech. The most important was the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the United States and the countries of the African Union (AU), grouped under the African Continental Free Trade Area, in order to boost economic growth on the continent.

Once implemented, this agreement will create a market of 1.3 billion people and 3.4 trillion dollars, which would make the countries of the African Union the fifth largest economy in the world, the White House detailed in a statement.

In addition, Biden announced more than 500 million dollars to improve infrastructure in Africa, especially for the construction and maintenance of roads that connect countries in the interior of the continent with seaports.

The funds will come from the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), an independent agency of the US Government that seeks to reduce poverty in the world.

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Likewise, Biden announced a package of 369 million dollars for projects aimed at improving food security in Africa, investing in renewable energy and health projects.

The president also said that he will work with the US Congress, in charge of the budget, to invest 350,000 million dollars in the “digital transformation” of Africa with the aim of improving the connection to the internet.

The last summit between the US and the countries of the African Union was in 2014, under the government of then-President Barack Obama (2009-2017), the first African-American to reach the White House and which aroused great hopes on the continent. , although he ended up cutting aid to Africa, especially in the fight against AIDS.

Source: Elcomercio

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I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.