Does the outcome of the US elections matter to Africa?

DW (English)

The change in leadership in the United States inevitably marks a change in domestic policy and global influence. Why should Africans care about the outcome of the latest US election?

Transcript

00:00There's a saying, when America sneezes, the world catches a cold.

00:04And now that the U.S. voters have made their choice, many around the world are waiting

00:08to see what happens when Donald Trump takes office.

00:11For Africa, its relationship with the U.S. has been a mix of trade, aid and diplomacy.

00:17But the continent is not always high on the U.S. agenda.

00:20I think the challenge that Washington continues to face, however, is how do we position ourselves

00:26with respect to Africa in the long term, while in the short term, we are distracted

00:32by more pressing problems, whether those are in Ukraine or in Gaza or in our own backyard.

00:38So what can Africans expect after the 2024 U.S. elections?

00:43Welcome to The Flipside.

00:45Africa finds itself at the center of a global power play.

00:48The U.S., China and Russia all want to be its biggest partner.

00:52The cornerstone of U.S.-Africa relations has always been trade.

00:56The African Growth and Opportunity Act, AGOA, allows duty-free access to U.S. markets for

01:02African goods.

01:03However, in the last four years, several African countries have been stripped off AGOA eligibility

01:09for undemocratic behavior.

01:11Uganda, Gabon, Niger and Burkina Faso are among them.

01:15And the U.S. has been criticized for punishing countries for not playing to their tunes.

01:19But how can the U.S. see Africans as equal partners?

01:23Going forward, as Washington contemplates renewing the AGOA legislation, it would be

01:29wise to insulate our trade program from our social programs, our political programs, and

01:38really try to use AGOA as a way to bridge the divide that we have with African countries

01:45and to show that irrespective of the turn that they take, we will not shut off trade

01:51and investment with them.

01:52Trade is just one piece of the puzzle.

01:54A change in the government in the U.S. also has the potential to reshape the geopolitical

02:00landscape.

02:01U.S. foreign policy will play a critical role in determining Africa's alliances and partnerships.

02:07I do think that the U.S. is acutely aware that, to a certain extent, the perception

02:13that the United States has in Africa is being challenged by BRICS, and also to a certain

02:19extent unilaterally by either China or Russia in terms of their dealings with the continent.

02:27Whether it's via the president, Congress, or foreign policy decisions, the U.S. has

02:32the power to influence economies, security, and futures far beyond their borders.

02:37And this also includes Africa.

02:40And so I do think that the president has an opportunity to set the tone and to tell a

02:46story about the relationship between the United States and Africa, which could elevate

02:52the relationship to new levels or could really drag it down and force African countries to

02:58look for new partnerships away from the United States.

03:02And that is The Flipside.

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