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During this last day of the United States / Africa summit, the American president called for a permanent representation of Africa at the G20 and announced that he wanted to visit the continent.
with our correspondent in Washington, Guillaume Naudin
During these three days of summit, the American president posed as a spokesperson for Africa, where he also promised to go. It would thus be the first visit of a President of the United States to the continent since Barack Obama who had been to Kenya and in Ethiopia in 2015.
Several African leaders thanked him for his invitation to Washington and moreover offered to return the invitation. Joe Biden did not specify where or when he would go on the continent.
And financially, the United States spared no expense in convincing its partners of its commitment to Africa: 55 billion dollars in public cooperation over 3 years and 15 billion in private agreements were concluded during the summit. And an ambassador specializing in the continent has even been appointed to ensure that all commitments will be respected.
► To read also: United States / Africa summit: “Africa has become a geopolitical issue”
The African Union at the G20
Finally, Mr. Biden also announced American support for a permanent presence of the African Union at G20 meetings, because Africa “ must be able to make their voice heard in all the circles that matter “. At the UN General Assembly in September, Joe Biden had already declared himself in favor of a reform of the Security Council which would guarantee a permanent place for Africa.
These declarations, the American president made them during a plenary session on Agenda 2063. It is the project of the African Union to make Africa a world power of the future through development that is both sustainable and inclusive, ensuring that Africans make their own choices.
It is now a question of how the United States can help in this project, while other powers like Russia and China continue to advance their pawns on the continent. This subject was also the great American concern and also the great unsaid of this summit openly devoted to listening to African countries.
It is the intense work of American diplomacy to resume contact in a concrete way and in all directions on the African continent, in a real strategic rivalry vis-à-vis China and Russia. And it is a form of success in view of the figures on the number of heads of state present.
Emmanuel Véron, associate researcher at INALCO and specialist in international relations
“We have the will to work with Africans”
After the family photo, the presidents met one last time to discuss food security. The latter is endangered by climate change and threats to peace and security in Africa, but also elsewhere, notably in Ukraine, where grain exports to the continent are disrupted by Russian aggression. Joe Biden has also promised new US aid of $2.5 billion for food security in Africa.
During this meeting, the American president was satisfied with the quality of the work during this summit by addressing Macky Sall, Senegalese president and current president of the African Union. ” A few days ago, President Sall was asked what a successful summit would look like. Mr. President, I remember you saying that the United States had to show “willingness to work with Africans”. We want to work with Africans and we need you. President Sall, and all the leaders in this room, I hope we are clear. Today and every day is not just showing the will to work, but doing the work, and there is a lot of work to be done. “, did he declare.
And since the clock was ticking, the Senegalese president and current chairman of the African Union, Macky Sall, took the opportunity to call for the end of American sanctions once morest Zimbabwe. They were decided for human rights violations and once morest corruption.
The previous summit of the same kind dated back to 2014, under the Obama administration and since then not much has happened. The United States are expected over time.
