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?
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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.