As the Biden administration looks to prioritize national security issues and regions of the world, it is critical to remember the emerging importance of Africa in the future of international relations and global commerce. For centuries, the West has viewed Africa through the lens of colonization and exploitation. But the coming decades will provide substantial opportunities for economic development and political empowerment of people throughout the continent. The recent confirmation of Linda Thomas-Greenfield as United Nations ambassador is encouraging in this regard. Her extensive background in development within sub-Saharan Africa demonstrates that the United States might finally be looking to take Africa seriously as a major player in international trade and geopolitics. This week, we’ll take a closer look at the future of Africa and what American foreign policy towards Africa could mean for you.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, America’s newest ambassador to the United Nations
Africa’s Booming Population
If population equals power, then sub-Saharan Africa is poised to become a global powerhouse by the end of of the century. By some projections, Africa will add over one billion people to the planet by the year 2100, making it nearly 40% of the total world population. Nigeria in particular is projected to reach a population of 400 million by 2050, surpassing that of the United States. With such a dramatic increase in population comes a host of potential concerns to address. For one, this population expansion could fuel further instability due to scare resources. In particular, problems brought on by climate change such as sea level rise, desertification, and water scarcity are made more difficult with larger populations. Many regions of Africa are enduring insurgent terrorism and civil strife, so it will be critical for allied nations to help African governments counter these threats to stability.
But this population boom also provides plenty of opportunities for both American and African success. Hundreds of millions of people will enter the workforce and global marketplace. With the right kind of support and equitable investment, new businesses, small agricultural co-ops, and international supply chains can thrive. Family-owned agriculture in particular can provide significant opportunities to empower rural communities while also staving off the very real potential for food shortages. On this front, low-impact ecological farming can play a critical part of negotiating this balance successfully. On the manufacturing side, large corporations can also find success in creating new plants and supply chain links to provide opportunities for people throughout the region. There are major opportunities for both industrial and service capacity growth in the coming decades. This will create more ability to purchase goods which leads to greater overall economic opportunity for everyone. In addition, it helps ensure stability as populations continue to grow (and might help curb overpopulation as wealthier societies tend to have fewer children).
Decolonizing Development & Diplomacy
But it is critical that these developments and corporate investments are done in an equitable way to prevent the global economic abuses and exploitation of the past. This is where the practice of decolonizing development and diplomacy come into play. What exactly does that mean? This is a way of thinking about international development and investment that seeks to rethink how nations like the U.S. interact with low-income nations. Western nations have a long history of colonizing places like Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Even after the era of colonialism ended and nations gained their independence, a similar type of paternalism (i.e. “we know what’s best for you”) existed between former colonial powers and the former colonies. Decolonized development also recognizes the immense variety of languages, cultures, and ethnic groups throughout places like Africa, each with their own needs and challenges. International development has long been criticized for being better at making wealthy people feel good rather than actually solving problems in the developing world.
Above: Not what decolonized development looks like.
The decisions about what aid goes where must involve people within the communities who are being supported. We must help others to help themselves and should never assume that we know what they need. For example, a well meaning U.S. foreign aid program might try to build a school in a rural community in Somalia. But if the people living there have no textbooks or running water, that program could instead be a waste of resources that could have been better spent in other ways. Decolonized development, in short, is a way of getting people to the point where they can participate in the global market, not just be exploited by it. Successful investment and development programs must uplift populations and help reduce dependencies. So what can happen what development aid goes wrong? Look no further than the current practices of the Chinese government in international development.
Good Vs Bad Development
We’ve mentioned this a few times before, but China’s practice of debt trap diplomacy and development shows what can happen when a nation looks to exploit, rather than uplift, a country. One way China does this is by giving poorer nations loans for massive infrastructure programs for things like ports and bridges. Then, China exploits the predatory terms of these loans and seizes the roads, ports, and bridges that they have built. These nations end up defaulting on these loans, and the Chinese government then claims ownership and control of key infrastructure in a country. This type of development does nothing to uplift these populations into the global marketplace and instead seeks to profit off of their labor and geopolitical position. These nations end up poorer as a result and create a drag on global economics as a result.
So what can American foreign policy do? The current administration is looking to invest heavily in developing nations to allow U.S. companies to partner with African and Latin American companies rather than exploit them. It’s a policy that has been tested before with outstanding results for both the average American and citizens of other nations. The data proves that investing abroad through corporations, nonprofits, and American government programs like USAID provides tangible benefits for all Americans here at home. Every dollar that is invested abroad provides substantial dividends to American growth and prosperity in the form of business revenue, technological achievements, and jobs. The emphasis overall is shifting away from viewing Africa through the lens of famine and terrorism and shifting towards infrastructure programs and promotion of economic prosperity.
But with all of America’s problems at home, why should we be spending this money abroad? The truth is that the United States can do both. Foreign aid spending accounts for less than one percent of the federal budget, but we get substantial returns on investment in the process. By some estimates, every dollar invested abroad returns sixteen dollars back into the economy. How this typically works is that a nonprofit organization gets funding to complete its mission (like providing food and shelter for displaced persons). This funding is often required to be used within the United States, so an organization would buy food from a local farming co-op for example. Then the organization sends that to the places it is needed most using its network of people on the ground in the foreign country. This creates a win for everyone. The nonprofit gets to fulfill its mission, local American farmers get a market for their products, and people in other countries get food and shelter.
The Bottom Line
In all, we ignore the rise of African power and population to our own disadvantage. The Biden administration is making encouraging moves to signal that it recognizes the growing importance of many African nations and wants to change the way we have traditionally interacted with them. We need a foreign policy towards Africa that is inclusive of their needs, respectful of their traditions, and that seeks to uplift rather than exploit. We must make sure we transfer skills and experience to the people of Africa, rather than simply dropping money at them. When asked how we know we are being successful in the region, the first commander of U.S. Africa Command Lieutenant General William Ward said, “When they see us (Americans), they run towards us, not away from us.” Investment and responsible development in Africa is not only the right thing to do, it is also in our self-interest to do it.