Opinion | America’s historic connection to Africa in a shifting global order

By Hon. Mayiik Ayii Deng

OPINION – The US-Africa Summit raises three threads that, when considered together, indicate an inflection point in world history and a choice point for American policy on Africa. The first two threads are the current crossroads in the American and African stories respectively; and the third is the prophetic relationship between these two components of World history. After discussing these threads in this paper, I’ll conclude by sharing thoughts on how the representatives at the US-Africa Summit, and the countries they represent, can leverage this moment to benefit Africa, America, and the world.

Since World War II (WWII), America has been the dominant global power. Spurred by finance, industry, democracy, media, and culture, America has defined modernity for many people worldwide. The American dream has spread to all corners of the earth, with millions of people aspiring to migrate to America in the hopes of gaining citizenship. Failing to make it to the United States physically, many people try to recreate the image of America in their countries of origin. On top of this soft power, America’s overwhelming military strength and access to much of the world’s natural resources complete this cocktail of endowments. These advantages largely explain why America has been the world’s greatest nation.

As we close out the year 2022, various factors challenge America’s distinguished position and call for a rethink of her geopolitical strategy. Among these factors, three bear highlighting at the Africa-America summit:

1. The economic ascent of China and other Asian countries as the world’s manufacturing center completes its migration from America to countries with more attractive labor markets;
2. The economic decline of Europe, including various forms of instability and supply chain disruptions, not least due to the Russian confrontation with NATO in Ukraine;
3. And the implications of climate change, including the policy pivot away from petrochemicals and towards renewable energies.

American policymakers are familiar with these geopolitical realities, and are seeking ways to safeguard America’s distinguished position as the new world emerges.

Africa, too, is at a historical crossroads. Since WWII, we have decolonized politically with the establishment of sovereign African governments. Africans naturally embrace democracy as a reflection of our values. However, liberal democracy in Africa has failed to provide the economic freedom we need. Increasingly, Africans perceive the Western world as neo-colonial and have reconsidered whether neoliberal policies serve our interests. Many believe the playing field slants away from us and toward the interests of Europe and America. Specifically, we question the legitimacy of a development model that neglects African infrastructure and industry. We also question the motives of foreign experts who tell us our only economic option is to export our natural resources to service unsustainable US dollar debts. The aid we receive pales compared to the capital that flows out of the Continent. We cannot continue to bleed value through unequal business arrangements. And now, some of these experts are suggesting we limit the development of these resources altogether.

Despite the obstacles to our development posed by our colonial inheritance, Africa will still be the engine of the world’s economic future because of three demographic factors. Our population growth is rapid, our population is young, and our urban areas are exploding. According to researchers at the Global Cities Institute, 17 of the 20 largest cities will be in Africa by the end of this century, with Lagos and Kinshasa surpassing 80 million people. While Africa has some of the world’s highest economic growth rates, we also have an enormous proportion of the earth’s remaining arable lands, forests, fresh water, and recoverable resources. Despite these endowments, we are on the frontline of climate change and will only provide our people with food security and economic opportunity if we build climate-adaptive renewable industries. We must add value to our natural resources while creating goods and services that our billion-plus-person continental markets need and want. Only then should we export value-added products in areas of comparative advantage to the rest of the world. All our efforts must center on providing the infrastructure and technical capacity for this to happen.

This scenario puts us at a crossroad. We may prosper or stagger into the future depending on how we Africans respond. Suppose we encode an economic model that continues the neoliberal trajectory into our future growth. In that case, we will produce an unstable overpopulated continent of haves and have-nots with sprawling urban slums, poor infrastructure, and a lack of industry. The resource course will corrupt our institutions as Africa’s billionaires fly over countries they’d prefer to leave behind. They will be like the poor migrants underneath them who find every illicit means to invade Europe. In this scenario, Africa’s rich and poor will be united in the common pursuit of someone else’s dream.

As the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Africa’s youngest government of the Republic of South Sudan, I know the general sentiment of Africa’s political elite. Based on that knowledge, I want to frame the situation as accurately as possible because of how critical the U.S.-Africa summit will be in determining which roads we choose.

Africa looks East towards countries like China, which still desire natural resources but are willing to invest in our infrastructure and industry. Given our predicament, this model is attractive to many Africans.

A true friend remains honest even when their message is unpopular. As a friend, I advise America that your engagement model with Africa should adapt in response to the changing world. Africa wants to do business with America based on mutual respect, without coercion, condescension or feeling that you are lecturing us. We have reached a political maturity where we see our shortcomings and those of other countries, including the most politically and economically endowed. Merely pointing out our problems appears counterproductive when all countries face precarious conditions and political fractures.

I call America a special friend to Africa because Africans genuinely believe in the democratic principles of freedom, equality, and justice at the heart of the American story. Those principles echo our indigenous beliefs of human dignity and solidarity expressed in the Bantu concept of Ubuntu. In my Nilotic language, we call the same concept Cieng. All tribes have their variants of this philosophical construct. No one has to teach an African about democracy, and we only require the opportunities to practice political and economic democracy freely, including owning and participating in our industries. The fact that America, too, was colonized and broke free from imperialist domination anchors our friendship. Indeed, children of African descent have participated in every American war, starting with the American Revolutionary War and including the Civil War.

Our deep African connection with America is prophetic. America built its greatness on the back of enslaved Africans who instilled into the DNA of the country the concept of human rights. They partnered on their long march to freedom with the other races, cultures, and religions who joined forces in their revolutionary struggle. That historic cooperation for emancipation makes America a shining example for the world. Through that history, America has a unique connection to Africa that no other nation can claim.

Today, the 40-plus million African Americans serve at every level and in every capacity across all industries, government agencies, and the military. However, the American government has never leveraged this connection to strengthen its economic and political cooperation with Africa.

The prodigious Senegalese scholar, Cheikh Anta Diop, foresaw that an African Renaissance would soon come, and Nelson Mandella later proclaimed that it was upon us. That re-awakening of the African spirit includes the world connecting to Africa as the cradle of civilization. In doing so, it puts into perspective the accomplishments and contributions that we have made, from the high technologies, philosophies, and engineering accomplishments of the Kushite civilization and many other African empires to the participation of Africans in building America. The descendants of Africans in America are poised to partner with American finance and businesses to build enterprises through investments and joint ventures in Africa. Our role as African governments is to welcome you and make your work easier. Your role in American government, finance, and industry are to bring the capacities we need to succeed locally and compete globally. Through our success, we will use revenues from our abundant natural resources to fuel renewable industries on the Continent.

I have just come from Khartoum, where the Governments of the two Sudans are working to create conditions for a new partnership phase with America. Under the leadership of President Salva Kiir, South Sudan has consolidated its internal peace through the Transitional Government of National Unity. We have gone beyond that to support the process of democratization underway in Sudan through our active mediation. This investment has now paid off, as Sudan’s political actors have agreed upon a framework for their military and civilian components to unite in a unified government. Throughout these peace processes, we, the people of the two Sudans, have been guided by a sense of culture, rooted in our common African heritage and a vision of the future based on our shared economic interests. We are now focusing on the border area, including the contested Abyei area between South Sudan and Sudan, to build a cooperation model. I am pleased on behalf of South Sudan, and with the blessing of Sudan, to invite you to come and work with us as we consolidate our regional stability and build prosperity, which is the dividend of peace.

The author is a member of parliament and the minister of foreign affairs of the republic of South Sudan and therefore nothing contained in this thought piece should be construed as the official position of the Government of the Republic of South Sudan.

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