The 16th United States-Africa Economic Summit, held May 3-6 in Dallas, concluded with the signing of numerous bilateral agreements. Five African presidents and three heads of government, sixteen ministerial delegations, as many American government representatives and 1,500 participants made the trip. Washington thus wanted to display proof of the vivacity of relations with the continent.
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From our correspondent in Texas,
Dallas, the preferred city of banks and investors in Texas, in the first energy producing state of the UNITED STATES. But above all Dallas, the city which concentrates the most members of the African diaspora in the country. So many significant attractions for officials and businesses on the African continent.
For their part, a few months before the American presidential election, government agencies and White House advisors wanted to make it known that United States-Africa cooperation is made to last.
“ We can no longer take our foot off the accelerator when we talk about strengthening economic partnerships. » According to Joy Basu, number two in the Office of African Affairs at the US Secretary of State, “ the momentum is well underway, and we now need even more companies to start investing in Africa “.
Fears were nevertheless expressed when the question of AGOA, the law on growth and economic opportunities in Africa. The text voted in 2000 must end in September 2025, and few believe that it will be renewed before the end of the mandate of Joe Biden. Worse, in the event of the election of Donald Trump next November, he has doubts about whether the plan will be presented again, given his isolationist positions and his lack of interest in Africa.
However, several continental operators note the strong presence of Chinathe Emirates or theIndia. And if the Americans are less present in Africa, they will quickly be replaced, they emphasize, given the sometimes aggressive desire of these countries to trade. Heads of State present in Dallas: Joseph Boakai of LiberiaJoao Lourenço from Angola, Lazarus Chakwera from Malawi, Mokgweetsi E. K. Masisi from Botswana and José Maria Neves, from Green cap.
The diaspora for the first time represented
So, the members of the Biden administration present in Dallas want to be reassuring: “Agoa has bi-partisan support in both houses of Congress. We see positive signals for the text to be renewed, if modernized, for the next 16 to 20 years. We even hope that this text will pass this year. »
The future of the American-African economic relationship requires the development of the digital economy and this is closely linked to the generalization of access to energy. Because how can you access the Internet and develop your business if there is no electricity?
Thus, at Sierra Leone, the DFC, the US development agency, approved a $292 million loan to develop and improve the Freetown power generation plant (Western Area Power Generation Project) and the transmission of more stable electricity throughout the territory. The United States Export-Import Bank, for its part, agreed to provide a loan of 900 million for the construction of two solar energy plants in Angolacreating the largest renewable energy project in sub-Saharan Africa.
The United States wants to be sure that African countries have the capital necessary to support their continental growth ambitions, insists Nisha Biswal, number two at the DFC: “ We want these developments to be financially, socially and environmentally sustainable. But Africa needs $100 billion in investment each year to develop its infrastructure. No country can provide this, it requires investment from both the private and public sectors. »
And this year, American investors were well represented. For the first time, the diaspora was involved in this economic summit. More than 2 million Africans officially reside in the United States, providing so many opportunities to develop trade between the country-continent and the continent, to enable the advancement of projects “ with high standards, quality, transparency and with a visible impact “, insists Nisha Biswal. But also, by pushing Africans to take, and claim, a place of choice in the United States.
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