In less than a month, Washington will play host to roughly 50 African heads of state, hundreds of cabinet-level ministers, and over a thousand American and African business leaders and investors. It will be a truly historic moment. More importantly, it will be an unparalleled opportunity to advance U.S. strategic interests on the African continent — spanning from Cairo to Cape Town. While President Barack Obama will be hosting this summit, in some ways, Congress will decide whether it will be a success.
African delegations are expected to deliver a unified message to U.S. policymakers — they want to attract more U.S. investment into their economies. This reflects a strong recognition that U.S. investment, technology, and innovation can help to spur greater growth and prosperity in African economies. It can also help to close a massive infrastructure gap — ranging from unreliable power to insufficient transport networks — as well as address increasing demands for gainful employment.
African leaders have a political imperative to rapidly expand access to economic opportunities. Every year, up to 15 million youth enter the job market. Over two-thirds of recently surveyed Africans cite jobs and economic prospects as their most pressing concerns. Those figures exceed 75 percent in places like Nigeria, Egypt, South Africa, and Tunisia. Leaders intimately know that the dawning demographic bulge, coupled with growing public expectations, can either become a blessing or an explosive recipe for instability. The Arab Spring, or even the vicious Boko Haram movement in northern Nigeria, are powerful reminders of this dynamic.