US Ambassador to Kenya Kyle McCarter at the Rivatex East Africa factory in Eldoret on October 27, 2020. US-Africa trade policy is unlikely to change after the elections. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP President Trump has signalled reduction of US military presence in Africa, altered budgetary allocation to humanitarian programmes, and tightened visa conditions for most citizens of African countries.
Foreign policy and international trade experts say the US will continue to keep an eye on China, even if the Democrats win the White House.
The US is also likely to sustain its momentum on fighting terrorist groups in the Horn of Africa and the Sahel, including acting indirectly to support partners in the region.
The US-Africa policy will likely remain focused on countering China’s influence, and fighting terrorism regardless of who wins the Oval Office in the November 3 US election.
American citizens will be deciding whether to give President Donald Trump a second term in office, or hand leadership to Joe Biden, the former vice president of Barack Obama.
President Trump has signalled reduction of US military presence in Africa, altered budgetary allocation to humanitarian programmes, and tightened visa conditions for most citizens of African countries.
Foreign policy and international trade experts say the US will continue to keep an eye on China, even if the Democrats win the White House. The US is also likely to sustain its momentum on fighting terrorist groups in the Horn of Africa and the Sahel, including acting indirectly to support partners in the region.
Hassan Khannenje, the director of the HORN International Institute for Strategic Studies in Nairobi, told The EastAfrican that concerns about relations with China transcend party lines, and the US could fuel targeted policies to win back a continent considered strategic and a traditionally ally of Washington.
COUNTERING CHINA
"For Trump, countering China, fighting terror and striking bilateral trade deals has been at the centre of US-Africa policy. Rhetoric has, however, not been backed by real action outside attempts to secure bilateral trade deals," Mr Khannenje said on Thursday.
"If Biden wins, the US, while seeking to counter China and fighting terror, may restore democracy and security at the centre of US-Africa policy."Whichever party wins, he said, will sustain funding support for programmes such as health which the Trump Administration slowed down by reducing funding in successive years.Whether President Trump wins or not, analysts at the South African Institute for […]
