US President Barack Obama is scheduled to head to Ghana next week, on the continent where his father was born, for his first trip as president to sub-Saharan Africa.
Why is Obama going to Africa?
Africa has not been high on Obama’s foreign policy agenda in his first six months in office as he wrestles with wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and nuclear standoffs with Iran and North Korea. As an African-American whose father was born in Kenya, Obama was anxious not to be seen as exaggerating the importance of Africa in US foreign policy.
“He has not yet put his stamp on Africa. His visit to Ghana will be the start,” said Whitney Schneidman, a former Africa policy adviser to Obama during his presidential campaign.
Obama has been outspoken, however, about the humanitarian crisis in Darfur, and one of his first acts as president was to appoint his friend, General Scott Gration, as his envoy to Sudan. He has also held talks with Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai on the economic crisis in that country.
This will not be his first trip to sub-Saharan Africa. In 2006, he visited Kenya, Chad, Ethiopia, South Africa and Djibouti as a US senator.
What signal is he trying to send by choosing Ghana?
Ghana, a former British colony that was the first African nation to win independence in 1957, held a closely contested presidential election that saw power peacefully transferred to former opposition leader President John Atta Mills in January.
The Obama administration is keen to hold up Ghana as a model for the rest of Africa, where coups are not uncommon and elections are often marred by charges of vote-rigging and sometimes violence.
“Democracy and good governance are high up on his agenda, so he is rewarding Ghana,” said Richard Dowden, director of the Royal African Society in London.
What could he say?
US officials say Obama will deliver a major speech in the Ghanaian parliament that emphasizes good governance and the importance of democratic institutions.
Africa experts say Obama may use the speech to lay out a more comprehensive vision of his policy on Africa, in particular the importance of dramatically improving food security on a continent where millions are starving. Fighting corruption and expanding Bush administration initiatives to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS and malaria also could be featured.
Why not go to Kenya, the birthplace of his father?
“If Obama were to come to Kenya as the first country in Africa, it would send some very wrong signals that he is coming here merely because of some organic relationship that he has with this country,” Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga said.
Obama’s single stop in Ghana rather than the multi-country trip US presidents traditionally undertake to Africa has been choreographed to emphasize that the continent is on his radar but it is just one area on a packed foreign policy agenda.
“What he is saying to Africa is: ‘You are important to me, but be patient. I have other things on my plate and our relationship will have to unfold over time,’” said Steven McDonald, director of the Woodrow Wilson International Center’s Africa program in Washington.
What are his plans to foster economic growth in Africa?
Africa has been affected by the global economic crisis with steep rises in fuel, food and fertilizer costs and swings in commodity prices. Falling demand internationally has also reduced demand for African exports.
The Obama administration has said it wants to improve food security in Africa and is focusing on increasing agricultural production to help the continent feed itself.
SEEKING CHANGE: A hospital worker said she did not vote in previous elections, but ‘now I can see that maybe my vote can change the system and the country’ Voting closed yesterday across the Solomon Islands in the south Pacific nation’s first general election since the government switched diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing and struck a secret security pact that has raised fears of the Chinese navy gaining a foothold in the region. The Solomon Islands’ closer relationship with China and a troubled domestic economy weighed on voters’ minds as they cast their ballots. As many as 420,000 registered voters had their say across 50 national seats. For the first time, the national vote also coincided with elections for eight of the 10 local governments. Esther Maeluma cast her vote in the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was