News — development

Feleg Tsegaye was born to exiled Ethiopian parents in the United States. When he was 24 years old, he moved to Ethiopia to start the country’s first-ever online restaurant delivery service. Prior to leaving the U.S, he worked at the US Federal Reserve Bank.

In 2015, he launched Deliver Addis, an online restaurant delivery service in Ethiopia which allows customers to place orders from their favorite restaurants and also discover new ones. For Tsegaye, it was his own way of not only creating jobs in his country of origin but to change the way Ethiopians dine.

“What really prompted me to pursue this was the fact that we were creating a completely new industry that did not exist in Ethiopia,” Tsegaye told How We Made It In Africa. “It’s about getting customers what they want in the convenience of their homes and offices. It’s also about generating business for small and medium enterprises – like restaurants that cannot afford space or a good location – and creating jobs for young people as back-office staff or drivers.”

Across Africa, businesses being operated solely online are fast gaining popularity on the continent. This has been largely due to the spread of internet connectivity across the continent. While in some countries internet usage is low, it is high in other states.

Playing a pioneering role in Ethiopia’s e-commerce sector didn’t come easy for Tsegaye. At the time, internet penetration was low and was largely a platform not known to many in the country. Nonetheless, he persisted and now controls a big share of the market.

He was also confronted with other challenges such as the absence of addresses, power outages and inadequate internet connection.

“Our first internet shutdown was when I was on a flight to the US,” he recalled. In 2016, Ethiopia declared a state of emergency due to political instability, resulting in the shutdown of internet connectivity in the country.

“As an e-commerce business, that’s pretty much the worst possible thing that can happen – and I wasn’t even there when it happened,” he said. Although the business was unprepared for the internet shutdown, Tsegaye took advantage of the situation to do some intensive servicing and maintenance of his delivery bikes.

While at it, he took steps to keep the business afloat by designing offline processes for ordering – by phone, or SMS, when available. This saw order volumes go up. In June 2020, he secured funding from the Impact Angel Network to increase its capacity and efficiency to bring on new products and services and expand market share.

Following growing demand due to COVID-19, he expanded his services to include an online marketplace that enables Ethiopian consumers to shop for groceries and other essential goods online.

Before returning to Mali to establish Lenali in 2017, a voice-based social media app, Mamadou Gouro Sidibé was working at the French National Center for Scientific Research.

As lucrative as his job was, Sidibé identified a gap in the digital space in his native country, where social media platforms are not accessible to the uneducated or illiterates.

The idea to develop Lenali came to him when a grocery store owner pleaded with him to read a Viber message he had received because he couldn’t read. “That’s when it clicked: I’m running after tools that are not understood yet,” Sidibé told Los Angeles Times.

To make the app accessible to those without formal education, Lenali is integrated with local languages such as Bambara, Soninke, Songhai, Mooré and Wolof as well as French. Also, it is recognized as the world’s first voice-based network available in multiple West African languages, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Sidibé, an IT engineer by profession, said the app has the potential to change the way business is done in West Africa. He told Africa Renewal Magazine the overriding aim of his app is to also increase inclusion in Mali and Africa as a whole. “The problems in Mali are the same in the majority of countries in Africa, the app could work anywhere, and in the future, we can add many languages,” he said.

Mali has a population of 18 million with less than 50% of them being literates, according to UNESCO. This means that not many Malians can read or write, thereby limiting their ability to use the internet. For instance, despite the popularity of Facebook in West Africa, its penetration in Mali is less than 12%.

Social groups such as the National Network for the Development of Young Girls and Women of Mali, are using Lenali for social mobilization. “An essential part of the information we publicize is about reproductive health, gender-based violence and literacy,” said Hawa Niakate and Aminata Camara, who work for the organization. “We use Lenali social network to reach everyone.”

A Lenali user, Ada, said she advertises services and produce such as vegetables on the platform. She records her voice in a local language and posts the messages on the platform, with the goal to reach scores of users.

There are already existing apps like Viber that allows people to communicate by recording voice. But what sets Lenali apart is the fact that users can build a profile using audio.

So far, the app has over 50,000 users, mainly from Mali and part of the diaspora. Sidibé is, however, optimistic that the app will reach millions of people across the continent in the near future. He recently recalled the challenges he encountered in creating the app, noting Mali had no incubators to assist early startups. “Perhaps my projects would have been more successful with the support of an incubator,” he said.

A US-based Ghanaian cardiovascular surgeon, Dr. Moses deGraft-Johnson, has pleaded guilty to several counts of healthcare fraud and other related charges stemming from billing the federal government and other health insurance companies for surgeries he never performed on patients.

According to the Tallahassee Democrat, deGraft-Johnson, who was indicted on February 4, pleaded guilty to 56 counts of health-care fraud, conspiracy to commit fraud and aggravated identity theft on Friday, December 18.

Prosecutors say the owner of the now-defunct Heart and Vascular Institute of North Florida allegedly sent out bills to the tune of at least $29 million to Capital Health Plan, Medicare and other insurance companies for surgeries he never performed at his health facility. deGraft-Johnson allegedly used those funds to finance a lavish lifestyle.

Describing his modus operandi, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said the surgeon targeted unsuspecting victims at churches, nursing homes and also at least a hospital, and then went ahead to perform “invasive” and “unnecessary” procedures on a majority of them. This left some of his patients, who were mostly from underserved communities, confused about the authenticity of their personal medical records and the kind of treatment they actually required, the Tallahassee Democrat reported. The federal prosecutors on the case said they’ll continue scrutinizing deGraft-Johnson’s scheme so patients can have a better understanding of their conditions and receive the right treatment.

“As part of his plea, deGraft-Johnson acknowledged engaging in a wide-ranging and consistent pattern of performing two invasive diagnostic angiography procedures – one on each leg – on hundreds of his patients, whether medically indicated or not.

“When his patients returned for follow-up office visits, deGraft-Johnson submitted fraudulent claims to their insurance companies stating he performed athrectomies during the appointments. Using this scheme, deGraft-Johnson admits he falsely claimed to have performed over 3,000 of these surgical procedures to clear blockages in arteries in as many as 845 of his patients’ legs,” a statement from the Department of Justice said.

The department also said they’re “aggressively pursuing” the surgeon’s forfeitable assets both in the United States and outside the country including luxury vehicles, jewelry, houses in Manhattan, Southampton, New York, Miami and Houston, as well as over $1 million in cash.

“It is critically important that we do everything within the scope of our authority to help the patients preyed upon by this criminal doctor, in order to seek recovery of the $29-million-plus that he fraudulently received and to prevent similar schemes from happening in the future — both by deterring the would-be perpetrators and by educating those they would exploit,” U.S. Attorney Larry Keefe said in a statement.

The accused, who was born in Ghana but moved to the United States with his family as a child, is famously known for treating and saving the life of rapper 50 Cent after he was shot multiple times in Queens in 2000, the Tallahassee Democrat reported. He also owned multiple businesses in the US and Africa and aspired to run for president in his native Ghana. deGraft-Johnson worked as an independent doctor for the Capital Regional Medical Center after joining in 2014 and until before he was indicted.

The 46-year-old is set to be sentenced on April 8, 2021, at the United States District Court in Tallahassee. He faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for each of the conspiracy and health care fraud charges and a mandatory 2-year sentence for the aggravated identity theft charge. He also faces a slew of fines amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

“Instead of caring for his patients, this defendant targeted vulnerable members of our community, subjected them to unnecessary surgical procedures, and falsified documents so he could line his pockets with millions of taxpayer dollars. Fraud, like this, reduces the availability of critical resources and contributes to the rising cost of healthcare for all,” Rachel L. Rojas, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Jacksonville Division, said in the statement.

Isaac Wright Jr. was a convicted felon who learned the ropes of the legal system to free himself and became a lawyer in the process. He is the inspiration for ABC’s ‘For Life’. On Tuesday, December 1, Wright announced his candidacy to run for mayor as a Democrat in New York City.

In 1991, Wright was wrongfully accused of being the main deviser behind a drug conglomerate in the New York and New Jersey area. Subsequently, he was convicted under New Jersey’s drug kingpin law. Wright served as his own lawyer and was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Wright constructed the legal tactic and formulated a defense pro se brief as a counter to the king-pin jury instruction in State v. Alexander, 136 N.J. 563 (1994); this method was instrumental in reversing his conviction.

While conducting a cross-examination during his own case, Wright was able to extract a confession of police misconduct from a veteran police officer, James Dugan. This is what solidified his freedom.

“I understood law enforcement in such a way that I was able to get a law enforcement officer, a veteran, to actually come clean and admit fault, even though he was facing prison time,” Wright told People.

“The years of dealing with those issues allowed me to take that experience and individually turn an officer around. I think I could do the same thing with the NYPD.”

While he was incarcerated, Wright continued to study law and became a prison paralegal. He was instrumental in lowering the sentences and overturning convictions of over twenty inmates.

After Wright’s release from prison, he pursued law and graduated in 2002 with his undergraduate degree. In 2007, Wright graduated from Saint Thomas University School of Law. In 2008, he passed the New Jersey bar examination.

Wright was granted admission to the bar by the New Jersey Bar’s Committee on Character after a nine-year investigation and he is currently a Counselor with one of the biggest Black-owned law firms in Newark, New Jersey, law firm Hunt, Hamlin & Ridley.

According to the firm’s website, he focuses on “defending the wrongly accused and going after corrupt institutions.”

He is banking his candidacy on his experience which by all standards is different from his counterparts. He did not fully disclose his plans for the city, though he has pledged to “address the racial, economic, environmental, and educational injustices that plague our city’s institutions.”

“I don’t consider myself a true activist,” Wright said, adding that the core of his makeup is to fight for what is right.

Many friends and colleagues had pushed Wright to stand for this very position many years ago. He feels now is the right time because this year, many people have decided not to be silent anymore on issues pertaining to institutional racism and police brutality.

He however believes that there is more everyone can do aside from the protests, and that is, to get into the real fight. Wright said he is the man to lead that fight for real change.

“In my experience in life, nothing good happens, most of the time, without a fight,” he said. “You can scream, you can holler, you can protest — which are all good things, because we have to be heard — but no real, significant changes occur without rolling up your sleeves and getting into a fight.”

Samuel Afari Dartey is becoming one of the household names in Ghana’s hospitality industry. Since 2015, his investment in the sector has been concentrated on providing eco-friendly resorts for Ghanaian and foreign holidaymakers.

Dartey started with Aqua Safari Resort in the Volta Region of Ghana, a unique venture at the time. Following the success of the resort, he decided to replicate it in other parts of the country. His latest resort, Safari Valley Resort, located in the Eastern Region of Ghana, is a breath-taker. 

Termed the “African Disneyland,” Safari Valley Resort is built in a way to allow visitors to engage with nature. It focuses more on forest resources, wildlife resources, and the ocean and marine environment.

The eco-resort sits on a 500-acre land that provides visitors with modern comfort as it has other facilities such as theatre and arts. It also boasts of caves and lakes. One can enjoy luxury accommodations, spa services, golf and organic meals as well.

Building resorts across Ghana was not easy to conceptualize, Dartey told Paakwesiasare.biz. “A friend of mine invited me to visit his farm and encouraged me to get into the same enterprise,” the CEO of the Aqua Safari Group said.

“We acquired a few acres and started to develop some rubber plantations but anytime I visited, I thought the place was unique and I knew I had to come up with some idea, an idea that could optimize the use of this beautiful renewable natural resource.”

“I started one business in the hospitality industry already, Aqua safari resort, which was doing extremely well, one of its kind in the country so it wasn’t difficult to conceptualize something that will relate,” he added.

The first phase of the project is currently in operation. It consists of 102 rooms and surrounded by palm trees, lush, green landscapes and infinity pools. According to Dartey, the resort was developed in such a way as not to destroy the environment. 

“Because it is an Eco-lodge, we’re planning to put into consideration that we won’t destroy the environment, such that where a tree has to be taken out, we will make sure that four trees replace that particular tree,” he said.

The resort facility is home to dozens of species of wildflowers and wildlife with local and exotic animals such as antelopes, zebra, and giraffes. This environment will enable visitors to “engage with the animals without any form of fear”, Dartey said.

The natural resource economist said he will expand his resort venture to every region of Ghana with Safari Palm Lands in the Western Region and Safari royal gardens soon to hit the Ashanti Region.

Growing up in Greenville, South Carolina, Jasmine Twitty knew she wanted to serve her communities. While in elementary school, she was in girl scouts and church youth groups, where she learned the trailblazing work of influential figures including presidential candidate Shirley Chisholm.

“These are people in power, and they have the influence to shape society and the laws that govern our everyday lives. I want to do that!” she told herself. But she didn’t set her mind towards becoming a judge until after college.

Following years of work in bond court, she took measures towards pursuing judgeship. After a lot of hard work and determination, Twitty, in 2015, became the youngest judge to ever be appointed or elected in the United States when she was sworn in as an Associate Judge of the municipal court for the city of Easley, SC at the age of 25.

“The day I was sworn in felt surreal,” she said in an interview in 2016. “My job is to oversee the initial proceeding in a criminal case. As a judge, I must remain impartial, not get emotionally involved. I had to learn that early on, working in night court, seeing what things people are capable of.”

Indeed, being an African-American judge for the municipal court in Easley, South Carolina—a predominately white town— meant Twitty had a lot to deal with. But that was nothing new to a trailblazer like her, who had gained a wide range of experiences working long hours as a night clerk for a bond court.

Born on December 4, 1989, in Greenville, South Carolina, Twitty attended St. Anthony of Padua Catholic School and graduated from J. L. Mann High School in Easley in 2007. She described her childhood as “one of those super-smart little kids who might be called “mouthy.” Her parents, however, appreciated her vocabulary, she said, and with her mother being a dedicated social worker, she was raised to be of service to her communities.

After graduating from the College of Charleston in 2010, with her BA in Political Science, she knew she was ready to work in public service. Twitty then applied for a clerk position at the Greenville County Bond Court. “My job was to coordinate bond hearings and deal with paperwork. The hours were long, but I was excited. I was the youngest person there and asked 1001 questions a day,” she said.

Being a night court clerk for almost five years, Twitty learned more about judgeship, and soon, she realized she could go for it. Twitty wasn’t required to attend law school because, in South Carolina, summary court judges are appointed and don’t need a law degree. The city council is the governing body that appoints judges for the municipal court. Consulting her family and mentors, Twitty began steps towards pursuing this career. She completed a training program and passed a certification examination before entering the interviewing process.

In August 2015, she became America’s youngest judge. Four years later, she was appointed as a municipal judge and lead judicial officer for the City of Travelers Rest, SC.

Twitty, now 31, explained to Forbes this October how she improves her work-life balance. “My mental clarity comes from diet and exercise, and from truly unplugging when I’m off work. That can come from travel or food experiences, or even just silencing my phones when I’m at home. I’m also particular about the spaces I put myself in and the people I surround myself with.”

Twitty, as a Board Member of Upstate Network and co-founder of her local chapter of LeadHER, has been empowering women in career development. With several recognitions including being named South Carolina Top 20 Under 40, Honorary Georgia Citizen, and Talented Tenth Top 10 Young Professional, Twitty has advised women pursuing their dreams to be true to themselves. She urges them not to compromise anything for the sake of an opportunity, “because you’ll pay for it later.”

Growing up, many of us had childhood ambitions but some of them changed along the way. That is not the case with Fadji Zaouna Maina, the first Nigerien scientist to work for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). She has had ambitions of alleviating water problems in her hometown since age 10. Now, she gets to tackle the world’s water crises with data from NASA.

The 29-year-old hydrologist from Zinder, Niger, joined NASA on August 27, amid congratulatory messages from Niger’s president and first lady and other high-profile members of her community. Nigerien President Mahamadou Issoufou referred to her as “a national pride, and a role model for the youth of Niger”.

Her response to the president was befitting and it summarised her entire journey. “I pushed the boundaries, I made it possible and I made a whole country proud,” she said. “The chances for a girl like me, born and raised in Zinder (Niger), to become a scientist at a well-known institution like NASA are almost zero.”

She acknowledges the fact that the water crisis in Niger is deteriorating due to climate change. As a girl child in Zinder, having tap water in her home gave her an edge over other children, especially girls who had to go in search of water from the lake or buy from neighbors.

“People think that the boys should go to school or go to work and the girls should find water and come back [to do] cooking and cleaning,” Maina told Share America in an interview in September.

“[Girls] don’t have time to go to school,” she said. “Girls’ education is one more problem that comes from climate change — I have seen that.”

This situation fuels her ambition to succeed and she is giving it her all.

“I have a responsibility on my shoulders because I believe I need to show the face of my country,” Maina said. “It’s like changing the image of Nigeriens and changing the image of the women generally.”

Maina, at age 16, completed her secondary education, having been skipped several times ahead of her peers. She has been an advocate for education and girl child empowerment since she was a teenager, and, at one point, served as a junior deputy in Niger’s National Youth Assembly.

Maina went to The University of Fes in Morocco to pursue a degree in geological engineering. She then proceeded to the University of Strasbourg for her master’s in engineering and environmental sciences.

In 2016, she earned her Ph.D. in Hydrology from the University of Strasbourg, a field she chose in order “to participate in improving the conditions of access to drinking water in Niger,” according to The Africa report.

On a quest to find tangible solutions to the global water crisis, Maina worked in highly acclaimed laboratories such as the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) before joining the Energy Geosciences Division of the University of Berkeley in the United States.

It was her work at Berkeley that caught the attention of Forbes, earning her a spot on the Forbes’ 30 Under 30 2020 Science.

Later, she saw a job opening online at NASA and went for it. Today, she works as a computational hydrologist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center where she uses mathematical models and remote-sensing products to study the impact of climate change on water, according to the Nigerien US embassy.

“I will try to better understand the water cycle and the evolution of water resources in the context of climate change by using mathematical models and data from NASA satellites,” Maina explained.

She continues to support girl child education and the emancipation of women in Niger. The young female scientist also advises young girls who aspire to be like her to keep pushing.

“I will say to them to not give up to keep going because everyone would think people from Niger, or a young girl from Niger, would not be able to do this. But just believe in yourself and find an environment that will support you,” she told.

X2 PERFORMANCE has announced that Los Angeles Clippers’ four-time All-Star Kawhi Leonard will join the company’s board of directors. X2’s entire product line launch exclusively at CVS Pharmacy.

“I have been approached by many beverage and supplement brands, but I decided to join X2 because it is natural with clean ingredients. I love the products, and the impact it’s had on my training and performance,” said Leonard in a written statement. “I’m really inspired by our X2 team and the momentum we are building.”

Leonard plans on being directly involved in product innovation as well as marketing support.

X2 PERFORMANCE products use a patented combination of clean ingredients, which are scientifically proven, to deliver sustained performance through the generation and regeneration of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is a natural molecule the body uses to provide energy. X2 is widely used by pro teams in the NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL.

X2 CEO and board member Mark French said, “With more and more consumers looking for natural solutions in the energy and pre-workout categories, we are thrilled to launch our products nationally with Kawhi. “What has been the best-kept secret in pro sports is now available for everyone looking for a natural boost.”

In an interview with CNBC Monday, French spoke about Leonard’s involvement with the company, “He will be the face of the brand. There isn’t a more perfect partner for this than Kawhi. He’s perfect for us because he’s serious and not flashy.”

Consumers can purchase X2 ENDURANCE natural energy drinks as well as X2 PERFORMANCE (the products, not the company). It also offers clean ingredients for sustained energy. X2 differentiates itself from other energy drinks with its natural ingredients, non-carbonated formula, antioxidants, and electrolytes.

Leonard won an NBA championship in 2014 as a player with the San Antonio Spurs. After leaving the Spurs via trade in 2018, Leonard led the Toronto Raptors to their first championship in 2019.

Hip Hop education is not new and more teachers in the U.S. are embracing it as a fun way to sustain the interest of their students in learning. Sammy Rigaud is one such HipHopEd whose Freestyle Friday session went viral on social media last November because many were fascinated by his concept of motivating his students with rap sessions.

In the Atlanta teacher’s class, all that the second graders in The Kindezi School at Old Fourth Ward needed to do was to score 80% or higher on their weekly assessment. They would then be given the chance to spit bars, a tool Rigaud said motivated everyone to do better in their assignments, affecting their overall performance in his class.

The clip of their Freestyle Friday sessions now has over 3.5 million views on Twitter and to date, other teachers and schools have also adopted such techniques to motivate their students.

Initially, authorities in the school were hesitant about his techniques but they came around when they noticed how the performance of the second graders had improved and the good publicity the viral video brought to their school.

30-year-old Rigaud is a Haitian-American native of North Miami, Florida who works and lives in Atlanta. He did not set out to be a teacher, however, he found his purpose in life when a judge ordered him to do community service at the local YMCA. He babysat for 40 children while their parents were being attended to. That was the moment he knew he wanted to teach.

His goal is to make everyone excel. His Christian faith also influences his way of life. According to Rigaud, he teaches his children to develop them wholly and not in a part.

Rigaud has been teaching for seven years and has published a book to motivate children not to give up on themselves. He believes Hip Hop Education is the channel these children need especially in a diverse landscape with people from varied backgrounds. The minority should have a voice and to Rigaud, Hip Hop is that platform that can bring the much-needed change.

“When I heard my name called out on promotion day, it honestly felt like the skies opened up. Whether I was being featured or not over the years, I pushed myself and strived to be the best version of myself on stage and off. So, to finally make it to principal with ABT, it was a dream come true!”

Those were the words of Calvin Royal III in an interview in September. That month, he became the first Black male principal dancer with the American Ballet Theater (ABT) in more than two decades. Desmond Richardson was the ABT’s first Black male principal dancer, who went on to dance with Complexions Contemporary Ballet.

Royal, following his promotion in September, joins Misty Copeland in the roster of ABT’s principal dancers. This comes a year after Royal and Copeland became the first Black duo in ABT to dance the lead roles in ballet, by performing Ratmansky’s restaging of Harlequinade.

Studying ballet for the first time at 14 years old, Royal was first introduced to the dance performance during a community project in his hometown but it was in middle school that he paid more attention to it. There, he auditioned with friends for the High School of Performing Arts and won a scholarship to the summer program at Philadelphia’s famous Rock School where he studied ballet.

Royal then performed in scores of dance competitions before earning a scholarship to ABT’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School in September 2006, a pre-professional ballet training program for students aged 12-17. It was tough from the start, he said.

“It was challenging on so many levels, not just being the only Black kid in my class but being away from home for the first time…I felt this sense of, ‘Ok, I’m an adult now at 17.’ That’s a lot to kind of settle in with,” Royals said. “Then, despite the longing for a sense of community, knowing that I came here because I have something that got me this scholarship to be here. I always knew that because I didn’t see people who looked like me at the top, I wanted to get there so I could help to bridge the gap and open that door.”

The city of Cape Coast in Ghana’s Central Region is widely known as the nation’s tourism hub and the ‘Makah’ for African Americans. Every year, hundreds of Black people across the world visit the city and other historic slave sites to learn about the trans-Atlantic slave trade.

The region was the hotbed of the slave trade that saw millions of Africans uprooted to the New World. The coastal region has a number of castles and dungeons that were used to keep enslaved men and women for days before they were transported to the Americas to work on various plantations. 

Since the end of slavery with Ghana (formerly Gold Coast) attaining nationhood, Cape Coast has seen the return of many African Americans and Caribbeans to have firsthand information about the inhumane treatment their ancestors endured.

In 2019, Ghana organized ‘the Year of Return’ to commemorate the landing of slaves from Africa in America. The event was highly patronized by members of the diaspora. Beyond the Year of Return, there has been an effort to consolidate the gains made.

In this regard, the city of Cape Coast has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Africa Diaspora Development Institute (ADDI) and two local companies to create an ultramodern city. The city will be called the “Wakanda City of Return.” The proposed name of the city is inspired by the popular Hollywood movie, “Black Panther.”

The project seeks to leverage the heritage and cultural tourist assets in Ghana. The partners want to create a place of pilgrimage for the people of African descent to learn about their history, culture, the civilization of Africa, and its role in the creation of the new world economy.

The project, which is a private sector-led initiative, will develop the coastline and new areas in Cape Coast by creating a heritage experience with the provision of 5-Star hotels, retreat/ health resort, conference centers, and an ultra-modern continental corporate headquarters for ADDI.

The organizers say the timing of the project is apt since the country is still benefitting from the “Year of Return” and the “Beyond the Return” initiative organized by the government.

The project is expected to create about three thousand (3,000) jobs in Cape Coast.

The size of the American economy, the dominance of US companies and the power of the dollar mean the results of the US election race are set to reverberate throughout the world. But what does a Biden win mean for Africa?

The result of the vote could have a profound impact on US foreign policy in Africa, the EU’s Institute for Security Studies (EUISS) says.

During his tenure Trump has proposed a large-scale pull-back of US forces abroad, including in West Africa, marking a strategic shift from the ‘war on terror’ to countering China’s growing influence in Africa through other means, says Giovanni Faleg, a senior analyst at the Paris-based EU agency.   

“As competition mainly revolves around the predatory economic practices (of China) the first pillar of Trump’s strategy is advancing US trade and commercial ties with the region,” Faleg says.

This included the Trump administration’s ‘Prosper Africa’ initiative whose objective is to streamline bureaucracy, expand the role of the private sector and remove logistical trade barriers.  

“Trump has never personally considered Africa a priority region or travelled to sub-Saharan countries,” Faleg says, while “his rhetoric towards Africa in public speeches could not be more controversial.” 

During his tenure Trump has only received the presidents of Kenya and Nigeria, while he imposed visa bans on Eritrea, Nigeria, Sudan and Tanzania in January.

While Trump has pushed for significant cuts to foreign aid into the continent, these have been largely vetoed by Congress, meaning the US remained a leading donor in Africa, Faleg says.

In recent months, since the onset of Covid-19, Trump has communicated more with African leaders as China ramped up its pandemic support on the continent.   

“In late April Trump proactively phoned the leaders of Kenya, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Rwanda and South Africa and his administration stepped up assistance and donations to tackle the coronavirus pandemic in the continent, after passively watching China take the lead in international support,” Faleg notes. 

Virág Fórizs, Africa Economist at Capital Economics, says the outcome of the US elections is unlikely to be a game-changer for Africa. 

“A return to multilateralism under a Biden presidency could translate into stronger US-backing for the African Continental Free Trade Area, rather than the Trump administration’s approach of pursuing bilateral deals (with Kenya for example).”

President Biden would also be more likely to support the extension of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) beyond 2025, Forizs says.

Data from the 2019 International Trade Administration showed that US companies have invested over $50bn in Africa since Trump took office in 2017. 

While Trump’s record suggests he may be a boon for US business on the continent, a Trump win could mean further volatility for the South African rand, says Greg Cline, head of corporate accounts at Investec.

“If you look back at rand volatility there’s always been a suggestion that it’s been a consequence of the US-China trade wars. We’ve seen up to $250bn in tariffs that have been imposed on China by the Trump administration,” he told South Africa’s CapeTalk radio on Monday.

Biden’s election may lead to a partial cooling of trade tensions with China, which could have a positive impact on African markets which trade extensively with Beijing. 

A model for democracy?

Africans took to Twitter to denounce Trump’s response to the election results, saying he is undermining America’s role as a paragon of western democracy.

As Biden edges closer to victory, President Donald Trump has filed lawsuits for a recount in Wisconsin, and separate suits to stop vote counting in Michigan and Pennsylvania.

 “The US election will surely open up a floodgate of election manipulation across emerging democracies (most especially) in West Africa. The excuse will be simple; “even in the US, it isn’t a perfect process”, said Nigerian Egbe Omorodion.