President Trump’s election and its impact on Africa
President Donald J. Trump’s reelection as US president is of great importance globally. The event has resulted in copious media analyses and reports on it. That interest in the US presidential elections is certainly due to the influence of the US, generally referred to as the most powerful country in the world.
The USA tops the world in the areas of military capacity, diplomatic influence, cultural production and only its financial power is often a subject of speculation since most people find it difficult to believe that China’s economy is ahead of that of the US, and the trend does not show that a reversal will occur soon. China’s economy is sounder and keeps growing faster. Statistics reveal that, “China’s share of global GDP growth over the past decade has been no less than 30.5 per cent as opposed to the United States of America’s 9.15 per cent”.
Some sources contend that the US is indebted to China, but the importance that the US grants to many socio-cultural features of China is visible. The teaching of the Chinese language is gaining ground in the US. Research on issues like human rights and several others in China are key concerns for the US. So, the most powerful country in the world, as the US is called, is leaving no stone unturned to be on par with China, the nation with the strongest economy. Some analysts posit that the great economic weight of China stems from the hybrid political system of that country – a communist one that indulges in capitalistic practices.
Africa and Trump’s presidency
African countries have shown concern, regardless of their political and economic orientation since the decisions made by the new American administration will affect international organizations whose policies affect Africa. The main concern that Africa entertains with President Trump’s return to the White House is the access to the US as a country. The 47thpresident of the US has signed more than 100 decrees and all of them with the aim to Make America Great Again (MAGA). Many of those new decisions relate to the reintroduction of policies that existed during the first term of President Trump and those “old” national American policies are back, unfortunately with a sharper or more acute edge.
The US is embarking on a protectionist stance to reduce her reliance and even her interaction(s) with other nations. The deportation of illegal immigrants living in the US is at the top of the President’s new measures. This is of great concern to Africa since many people, the world over, see the US as a country in which one can amass material wealth. That could account for more movement of people from certain African countries to the US. Records reveal that in 2023, 58,000 Africans were at one of the borders hoping to enter the US and fleeing war, persecution and poverty, according to them.
Africans will certainly fall within one or another category of victims if Trump’s immigration policy is implemented. For instance, a large number of African students are admitted into the US universities. As students, they have a legal status in the US. Once they graduate, such students have two options: either they return to their home country, or they initiate arrangements that lead to a residence permit and other legal permits. This allows them to look for a job since employment most of the time comes with those permits being issued. Being found in the country while working towards legal immigration status warrants deportation, according to the policies of Trump. This could lead to the deportation of Africans who consider themselves innocent victims who had not broken any laws and were simply working towards the status of legal residents. They were not bent on residing in the US as illegal immigrants. Africans from certain countries are law-abiding and do not want to find themselves on the wrong side of the law. When such people are victims of forced removal from the US territory, their dignity is trampled upon.
Inevitable changes
Although African presidents congratulated Trump on his victory, after the elections many changes will affect the cooperation between Africa and the US, aside from “general” deportation. While former President Biden eagerly worked to establish good partnerships, tried hard to create the impression that Africa was a partner of prime value, Trump plans to curb the migration of Africans and all non-Americans (especially citizens of developing countries). Besides that, the economic partnership with Africa will change considerably, with much reduction in aid. Since the vast majority of African countries rely of foreign aid, a reduction of US assistance to Africa is bound to generate frustration. Proactive African countries will see in the new US-Africa relations an imperative to develop initiatives leading to self-sufficiency or autonomy in crop production, control over natural resources and many trade activities. There are speculations that the USD22 billion that the US is said to have invested in Africa in 2023 will be the last gesture of that type, with Trump’s election. Several media outlets state that the US aided Africa with USD 3.7 billion over this fiscal year.
The construction of rail road lines across countries like Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia for the transportation of raw materials will not continue under the 47th president’s tenure. Of course, it is doubtful whether such railroads were to serve the US or those African countries, but the general picture is that those infrastructures were put in place in Africa by the US. Another fear emanates from a statement made by Trump during his previous administration. The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) which allowed a certain number of African countries to export their products to the US without paying taxes will be truncated. South Africa, one of the largest exporters under the AGOA agreement, grumbles over the blow that such a measure will administer to her economy. Africa also fears that the Trump’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which is a long running US initiative in the fight against HIV/AIDS across the world, will be shut down by Donald J. Trump since Republicans have always suspected the institution of promoting abortion services.
Then, relations between Russia and the US are not stable and easy to read. While they had been rivals for decades, Trump does not state whether he perceives Russia as a threat or not. So, the cooperation that increased between Sahelian West Africa and Russia might suffer if the US decides, under Trump, to reimpose their interventionist policy in Africa, and that would mean a competition between Russia and the USA. Trump is said to be very “transactional”, so many, many observers are almost sure that he does not care about the concerns of any other country. Readers will remember when he used the term “shithole countries” to refer to Africa.
The withdrawal from the Paris Agreement is proof that the US, under Trump’s tenure, does not see the obvious threats that loom over all nations, including the US, as a danger. Orthodox industrial manufacture and the power of high technology or artificial intelligence (AI) are what counts for Trump and his billionaire friends and compatriots.
Moussa Traoré is Professor at the Department of English of the University of Cape Coast, Ghana.
