(5 Minutes Read)
It is the US outreach to Africa and coming close to the next general elections in the US, it has a political connotation: a sort of cozying towards the African-origin people in the US, which Biden’s predecessor Trump did just the opposite.
Global analysts are pondering over the significance of Kenyan President Ruto’s state visit to the US, an honor rarely given to heads of state. Kenya is the first African nation since 2008 to be honored by the U.S. with a state visit.
The reasons for strengthening engagement with the East African nation are fairly understood. It is the US outreach to Africa and coming close to the next general elections in the US, it has a political connotation: a sort of cozying towards the African-origin people in the US, which Biden’s predecessor Trump did just the opposite.
Importantly, this overture is coming close on the heels of another development. The East African nation is preparing to deploy its forces in Haiti as part of the UN-led effort to calm the security crisis in the Caribbean country, despite political resistance and courts overruling such a decision initially. Kenyan police, numbering over 1000 will soon set afoot in the Caribbean country, which is facing the worst law and order problem from its people often referred to as gangsters, while the local police are looking at the incendiary developments without any counter-action. Other countries expected to back up Kenyan forces include the Bahamas, Barbados, Benin, Chad, and Bangladesh. That testifies that Haiti is not the lone reason for honoring the Kenyan President, though it can be touted as the most evident one.
Engaging Kenya in global counter-terrorism is not a new development. The US has for years partnered with Kenya in this effort, particularly in fighting the extremist group al-Shabab. Kenya has been a player in the Ukraine Defense Contact Group and an international maritime task force launched by the Biden administration in December last year in response to Houthi attacks against vessels operating in the Red Sea. There is gainsay in saying that Kenya has been a steady ally of the US in Africa, while many countries in the continent are distancing from the overarching influence of the Western forces, particularly in West Africa. They are increasingly moving towards the Russian fold. China through the backdoor is also playing its game outsmarting the US and West European countries in striking economic engagement with Africa. Against this, the new equation with Kenya can be interpreted as a way to tell the world that the US still holds sway in Africa, however feeble that assertion can be.
The state visit opens when the two heads of state -Biden and Ruto- take part in a White House meeting with CEOs in the afternoon that will focus on strengthening ties between the American and Kenyan tech sectors. Executives from Teneo, Alphabet, and Semiconductor Technologies Limited are among those expected to attend. First Lady Jill Biden greeted Ruto and his wife, Rachel Ruto, upon their arrival at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington.
Biden and Ruto will hold formal talks and a joint news conference before a state dinner. Ruto is also set to participate on Friday in an event at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce with Vice President Kamala Harris.
Ruto started his U.S. visit in Atlanta, where he visited The King Center, met NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal, and stopped by the Tyler Perry Studios. The U.S. and Kenya are marking their 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations. White House officials said the leaders’ agenda will include trade and investment, technological innovation, climate and clean energy, health and security.
It is expected that the two countries will announce substantial commitments to elevate Kenya’s technological sector. Kenya has substantial US investments including from Google and Microsoft. It is also known as the technology hub of East Africa, known as the Silicon Savannah.
Many feel that Biden’s effort to bring on board Africa has lost its steam in the midway. His much-touted proposal to visit select countries in Africa also remains on the wish list. There are many reasons for putting Africa on the back burner. Foremost is the Russia-Ukraine war, which has occupied the lion’s share of its attention and resources. The recent Israel-Hamas tension also is a top priority of the US since solutions to both vexatious issues are seemingly far-fetched.
In December 2022, Biden invited dozens of African leaders to Washington and announced billions as promised government funding and private investment on the continent in health, infrastructure, business, and technology. In that rare gathering, Biden also promised to visit sub-Saharan Africa in 2023.
Sahel region in Sub Saharan Africa is a boiling pot. In many ways, the US and Western Europe is facing massive threat in dominance from Russia. Series of coups have made the region a hotspot for turbulence and a breeding ground for authoritarian rule as distant from the democratic governance as propounded by the US and its allies.
U.S. troops were recently ordered out of Niger by the West African country’s junta and are expected to complete their withdrawal by the middle of September. Meanwhile, Russia has deployed military trainers to Niger. The United States has also fallen well behind rival China in investment in Africa, which has become a key battleground in the competition between the major powers.
Biden acted early in his presidency to devote more attention to Africa than his most recent predecessors, including by hosting nearly 50 leaders for the U.S.-Africa leaders summit in December 2022. But since the summit, analysts say, the administration’s engagement has trailed off. Yet, Biden has hosted just one African leader, Angola President João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, for talks at the White House since the summit.
Read Also:
https://trendsnafrica.com/kenyan-president-ruto-in-us-for-state-visit-to-hold-parleys-with-biden/
https://trendsnafrica.com/kenyan-president-ruto-to-visit-us-in-may/
Does overtures to Ruto aimed at making good the shortfall of its actions as against promises? Many feel that Biden’s most catchy promise to visit Africa still eludes. Many doubt whether it will take place at all.
