Vice President Kamala Harris will start a three-nation trip of Africa this weekend as the United States looks to position itself as a more advantageous partner than China, which has made significant investments in the area over many years.
From March 26 to 29, Harris will be in Ghana, and from March 29 to 31 he will be in Tanzania. Zambia will be her last trip, and she’ll be there from March 31 to April 1. She intends to announce investments in the public and private sectors while meeting with the presidents of the three nations.
According to senior US sources, Harris will speak on China’s involvement in debt restructuring as well as its involvement in African economic and technological challenges that the US finds troubling.
Zambia is negotiating with its creditors, notably China, after becoming the first African nation to default on its debt during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In response to the rivalry with China, a representative said, “We’re not asking our partners in Africa to choose,” though he added that the US has “real concerns about some of China’s behavior in Africa” and its “opaque” economic dealings.
Due to the sensitivity of the subject, the source spoke on the condition of anonymity. He said Harris would talk about the best solutions for the international community to address the debt issues Ghana and Zambia are currently facing.
President Joe Biden is anticipated to visit the continent later this year. The White House convened an Africa Leaders Summit in December.
In March, less than a year after visiting South Africa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Morocco, Algeria, and Rwanda, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to Ethiopia and Niger.
The flurry of recent interactions is a departure from Washington’s position under Biden’s predecessor, Republican President Donald Trump, who mostly neglected the continent. Additionally, it coincides with Russia’s intensifying military activities in Francophone Africa.
One of the officials said Harris, who visited her maternal grandpa there when she was a young child while he worked there, is “looking forward to returning to Lusaka, which is a part of her family’s story and a source of pride”. As part of her journey, Harris will meet with officials from the business community and young leaders to talk about issues like food insecurity and climate change.
