The U.S. government’s latest sub-Saharan Africa strategy aims to herald an important era of partnership with the region, promising to strengthen democracy and foster an open society. But while the new blueprint pledges more support for trade and digital initiatives, experts say the U.S. will have to prove that it is more than just rhetoric.
The strategy, released earlier this month by the White House, has four main objectives, including advancing pandemic recovery, bolstering economic opportunity, and supporting climate adaptation as well as a just energy transition.
Some of these priorities are not new. In fact, the policy states that it “recasts traditional U.S. policy priorities” to “bolster the region’s ability to solve global problems alongside the United States.”