🎬 Trump vs. Harris

THE BIG IDEA
Trump or Harris: Where does that leave Africa?

The US Presidential elections consistently produce more commentators every four years than you can find at a bar on a Champions League final night. With the polls set to be less than three weeks away, many wonder what the results hold in store for Africa.

Well, the situation is unlikely to change regardless of who becomes the next president.

Historically, Africa was often neglected in US foreign policy after the Cold War. Instead, the US focused more on humanitarian aid. And even then, gaps in commitment have subsisted;

• Despite committing $9.5 billion in aid in 2023 alone, most of the aid has been routed to ‘soft’ projects like education and healthcare at the expense of ‘hard’ projects like infrastructure which Africa critically needs.

• In 2018, China committed $2.97 billion to infrastructure projects in Africa meanwhile the US committed only $287 million.

• Neither Joe Biden nor Donald Trump visited the African continent during their presidencies. In contrast, for over three decades, every Chinese foreign minister’s first visit abroad is traditionally to Africa.

Although analysts say the Biden administration’s aid budget is the highest since the mid-1980s, the recent $95 billion foreign assistance budget allocates $61 billion to Ukraine, $26 billion for Israel and Gaza, and $8 billion for the Asia-Pacific, with only a tiny portion directed towards the rest of the world, including Africa.

Trump vs. Kamala

In January 2018, former President Trump made his controversial “shithole countries” remark while expressing frustration with illegal immigrants from Haiti and African countries. His ‘America First’ policies often saw him attempt to cut billions of dollars in humanitarian aid to Africa.

Kamala, on the other hand, visited Ghana, Tanzania, and Zambia in March and April of 2023, during which she promised to unveil the non-profit Partnership for Digital Access in Africa to connect one billion people to the internet by 2030. A history that has a lot more Africans inclined towards her democratic policies.

In summary, post-pandemic US is bogged down with serious domestic issues: inflation, a range of social issues including gun crime and minority rights, and immigration are likely to dominate the focus of the next American president making the continent likely to remain a secondary concern. -TD.

TRENDING
The Devil Astronaut Wears Prada

New lunar fashion just dropped. Axiom Space revealed its Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit — the spacesuit NASA astronauts will wear during the Artemis III mission, returning humans to the moon for the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972. The suit, made in collaboration with Prada, includes health monitoring and cooling systems and comes in a crisp white to reflect heat. Definitely one of the pricier outfits out there, with the entire collection running NASA back a cheeky $228.5 million.

SHOWER THOUGHTS

NEWS
Round the continent

• Nigeria is now the third country to roll out the new R21 malaria vaccine. Cote d’Ivoire and South Sudan were the first 2 to adopt the novel and cheap technology.

• Kenyan VP Gachagua’s impeachment hearing has been delayed due to an unexpected bout of illness that has left the embattled politician hospitalized.

• Looks like Colonel Goita will be in power for a little longer. The Malian coup leader conferred himself with the title of ‘Army General’ yesterday with no dates in sight for a civilian transition.

• A Kenyan ride-hailing company is making transportation easy for people with disabilities.

• South African women have launched a petition to ban Chris Brown from performing in the country in December over his abuse saga with Rihanna.