US-Africa Leaders Summit

Ahead of the 2022 US-Africa Leaders Summit held on December 13-15, experts from across the Center for Global Development will offer recommendations to deliver on a more resilient, deeper, and mutually beneficial partnership between the United States and the nations of Africa. This blog series aims to re-examine US-Africa policy in service of two major aims:

  • Make good on past promises by scaling up investment and tackling persistent financing gaps. While the US has remained a strong ally of many African countries, resources have regularly fallen short of soaring rhetoric. As African policymakers face growing fiscal pressures, the United States must explore creative solutions to deliver much-needed financing through multilateral institutions and consider expanding its own bilateral toolkit.

  • Invest in a resilient, innovative future. Connections between Africa and the rest of the world have never been more salient. As African cities grow alongside the population of young people on the continent, the US must support African governments’ long-term investment goals to deploy innovative technologies and buttress human capital—particularly in areas where the US leads the world, from space technology to higher education, while avoiding restrictive policies that could hamper Africa’s economic growth.

The second Africa Leaders’ Summit presents an opportunity to consolidate existing US commitments and serve as a launchpad for the vision of a more equal partnership beyond aid, let us not miss the moment.

Sign up for CGD's US development policy newsletter to get updates on this series.

More from the Series

Blog Post

The World Bank Window for Host Communities and Refugees: Opportunities for Learning and Expansion in Africa and Beyond

December 01, 2022
The US-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington, DC presents an important opportunity to discuss the public good provided by African countries in hosting 7 million refugees. One critical tool that African and US officials should focus on and jointly advocate for is the World Bank’s Window for Host Commun...

Dec

9

2022

9:30—11:00 AM Eastern Time

Accelerating Public Service Leadership in Africa: The Next Generation of US-Africa Opportunities for Education, Training, and Professional Development

November 30, 2022
This event will explore collaboration between African and US institutions in the areas of education, training, and professional development to accelerate public service leadership in Africa. While there are longstanding US-Africa education and exchange programs, now is the time to develop new models...
Blog Post

Recycling American SDRs: a Low-Cost Solution to Help Africa

November 30, 2022
SDRs are only part of the answer to Africa's economic and financial challenges. But they can be mobilized quickly and responsively to meet acute needs on the continent. The cost to the United States is essentially zero. The potential benefits to African countries and US credibility are immense.
Blog Post

Collaborating on Space for Mutual Benefit: Recommendations for the US-Africa Leaders Summit

November 29, 2022
Space is officially on the agenda for the upcoming US-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington, DC. But what does that mean—and what could it mean given appropriate ambition on the part of policymakers?