African leaders are meeting this week with President Joe Biden for the second U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit of his administration. The gathering comes at a very important time, for this is an inflection point as much for the U.S. as it is for Africa. The U.S. has always loomed large in the minds of Africans of all ages, but under Biden’s predecessor, President Donald Trump, the sentiment changed dramatically for the worse.
Unfortunately, Trump did not know much about Africa, and because of that, it was not high on his agenda. Biden, on the other hand, came into office making Africa one of the cornerstones of his agenda.
The three-day U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit is a tangible example of this attention. The summit will draw most of Africa’s leaders and a cross section of nongovernmental organizations, aid organizations and other interested parties together under one roof for three days to discuss the continent and mutually beneficial opportunities.
Biden’s approach to the continent coincides with my own: In order to predict, influence and engage with the future of the continent, it is imperative to engage with the youths. The African Youth Survey, which was conceptualized and conducted for the first time in 2019, is now in its second edition. It is a vital barometer of sentiment and an incredibly accurate early indicator of trends that will define the continent when this cohort assumes its mantle as the next generation of African leaders.
Our findings indicate the youths are more positive about the U.S. under Biden across a range of metrics. It’s a stark contrast to how they felt about the U.S. under Trump. As the Chinese discovered decades ago, there are massive opportunities in Africa. The perception in the U.S. is that those opportunities are long gone, all taken up by the Chinese and others. This is not true; there remain massive opportunities for the U.S. in Africa.
Perhaps the biggest opportunity lies in working with the youths, who want to get involved in business and start their own. They need access to data, education and reciprocal opportunities. There are plenty of U.S. companies that need a foothold in a continent that has one of the fastest growing populations in the world. Africa will have the largest youth population by 2050, as well as the biggest cities in the world by the end of the century. African economies are growing at a significant pace.
The U.S. lags China in its engagement with and its investment in Africa. China has made government-led, strategic investments. In contrast, U.S. investment has been far less, concentrated in the oil and gas sector and primarily in its own interest, not Africa’s. China has invested in Africa’s interest and as a consequence has received benefits that are in China’s interests.
Far too many foreign engagements with Africa have been one-sided, even after the end of colonialism, with aid and investment tied up in conditions often so onerous that they affect the sovereignty of the recipient country. Relationships cannot be sustained on an unequal basis. They must be based on mutual respect and authentic interest if they are to last and flourish. Our youths do not want the handouts that their parents and grandparents might have happily accepted in the past from well-meaning, though ultimately patronizing, donors. They want opportunities.
This generation will forge their own destinies; they will speak truth to power. They love their countries, but if they don’t get the opportunities they are looking for there, they will leave. In light of the U.S.’ current intention to dramatically reduce immigration, it is in America’s interest to support and develop the growth of African economies so that Africans don’t feel the need to leave.
African youth have identified that one of their biggest challenges in starting businesses is access to startup capital. Without startup capital here, they will migrate to the U.S. and Europe.
These are just some of the issues that the summit needs to consider if it is to truly meet its stated aims of increasing cooperation between the U.S. and Africa on global priorities; advancing the cause of peace and security; enhancing democracy, human rights and civil society; and developing economic engagement.
Our youths understand the urgency of climate change, but they don’t want lip service and grandstanding from industrialized nations that were able to industrialize because of Africa’s resources. These nations ignore the ironic reality that Africa will bear the brunt of increasingly severe droughts, floods and famines that are a direct consequence of that industrialization.
As the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit looks toward building closer, better, more sustainable relationships with the countries that make up this vast and compelling continent, everyone involved would do well to bear all the following in mind. Look for opportunities but always make sure that the benefits go both ways, that we all go far together and that the outcomes are tangible and sustainable, precisely because the next generation of leaders — the youths of today — have been involved in charting their tomorrows.
It’s time for a new deal with Africa in which the U.S. participates in the continent’s growth and development in return for an equal partnership that will provide it with access to African markets and minerals and the opportunity to stand toe to toe with the Chinese.
The importance of Africa to the U.S. is long term. As important as it is to engage with the leaders of today, it is vital to engage with the youths who will be the leaders of tomorrow. This should be the real harvest of the U.S.-Africa summit.
____
ABOUT THE WRITER
Ivor Ichikowitz is an African industrialist and philanthropist. He chairs the Ichikowitz Family Foundation.
