A Day on Capitol Hill with Young African Leaders, Power Africa, and the Library of Congress

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Africa Policy Breakfast Series, Cote d'Ivoire, Ex-Im Bank, General Electric, Ghana, Heirs Holdings, IVLP, Karen Bass, Liberia Newspapers, Mimi Alemayehou, OPIC, Power Africa, Power Africa focus countries selection criteria, Rwanda, Shaka Ssali, Symbion Power, Togo, Tony Elumelu, YALI

The room was dominated by portraits of old white men, including one holding a poodle.

Yesterday feelings of patriotism stirred in my bosom as I attended the Africa Policy Breakfast Series sponsored by Rep. Karen Bass (D – CA), a two panel Senate hearing on Power Africa, and I then passed a few hours reading Liberian newspapers at the Library of Congress before venturing over to New America and Arizona State.  It still strikes me as pretty cool that I can rub shoulders with prominent dignitaries and attend congressional hearings in person.

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‘You Get What You Pay For’: Amb. David Shinn on China – Africa Engagement

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China - Africa, China Africa Trade, Chinese in South Africa, Confucius Institutes, David Shinn, Power Africa, US - China Peoples Friendship Association, Xinhua, YALI

Shinn at Left

Today, I heard Ambassador (Burkina Faso & Ethiopia) David Shinn speak on ‘China’s Engagement with Africa.’  The event was held at the African-American Civil War Museum in the U Street Corridor under the sponsorship of the DC chapter of the US – China Peoples Friendship Association.  I’ve been to a few local events on China – Africa Relations (such this one on opinions and this one on Chinese engagement in South Africa) and I’ve interviewed the local Sino – African doyen (who was in attendance today with a very scruffy beard), but my knowledge of China’s Africa engagement is not very deep.

‘Africans Don’t Need us to Bring Anything…We’re Just the Catalyst’: Bureau of African Affairs Head Speaks at Nigerian Embassy

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Ade Adefuye, Africa Society, Bernadette Paolo, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Embassy of Nigeria in US, Goodluck Jonathan, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Nigeria, Peter Tosh, Power Africa, South Sudan, Trade Africa, US - Africa Summit, YALI

Yesterday, the Africa Society hosted Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, at the Embassy of Nigeria.  The event was originally slated for December, but postponed when the Secretary traveled to the Central African Republic to deal with the crisis there. Although I was fatigued from a new job and illness I ventured out in the evening after work to hear if there would be any interesting observations given the recent suspension of Nigeria’s highly suspected Central Bank Governor Lamido Sanusi, state criminalization of homosexuality in Nigeria, and the appearance of increasing autocracy from Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan.

‘You Can Only Squeeze so Much Out of an Orange’ – but – ‘Power Africa Provides a lot of Sunshine’: Africa Breakfast on the Hill

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Africa Congress, Ed Royce, Kamran Khan, Karen Bass, Library of Congress, MCC, Nigeria, Olufunke Osibodu, Oren Whyche-Shaw, Paul Hinks, Power Africa, Symbion Power, Tanzania, USAID

 

The back of the heads of many an African Ambassador are seen in the front row

Yesterday Morning, I attended what I believe was the fourth installment of Representative Karen Bass’ Africa Policy Breakfast Series at the Library of Congress.  This session focused on ‘Power: Eliminating a Barrier to Trade, Development and Growth in Africa.’  It featured representatives from Symbion Power, a key player in Obama’s new Power Africa Initiative, the Millenium Challenge Corporation (MCC), and a Nigerian power official.  Congressman Edward Royce gave opening remarks and Ms. Oren Whyche-Shaw, Principal Adviser to USAID’s Assistant Administrator for Africa, moderated.

Guest Post: CSIS Looks at Powering Africa’s Progress

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African Development Bank, Africare, CSIS, Darius Mans, Donald Kaberuka, Heirs Holdings, ONE Campaign, Power Africa, Tony Elumelu

Read on for a guest post on an event sponsored by CSIS last Friday that consisted of a “conversation on impact investing, electricity access, and increasing infrastructure delivery through public-private collaboration” with the head of Africare, President of the One Campaign, President of the African Development Bank, and a Major Nigerian financier.

Even though it was raining cats and dogs, the room was completely packed (standing room only).  The room was filled with official looking people in their best business attire. Speaking of business attire, I was surprised at the number of women who showed up in heels and flats ( I repeat, it was raining cats and dogs). You notice these kinds of things when your feet are sweating in your rain boots.

WTF? – The Militarization of Obama’s Power Africa Initiative

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AFRICOM, Andrew Herscowitz Power Africa, Department of Defense, National Defense University, Obama Africa, ONE Campaign, Power Africa, POWER AFRICA INITIATIVE: THE THIRD WAY, TIDES Project Africa

I have been very busy lately, but a recent notice about an event on Obama’s Power Africa Initiative sponsored by the Department of Defense caught my notice.  I haven’t really had time to scratch the surface of the TIDES project, but at first glance, this really seems to be an unfortunate example of the continued militarization of US Africa Policy.

An email I received notes: “this forum intends to stimulate debate on how to build military, civilian and interagency corporation when formulating African electrification policies and legislation as stipulated by the presidential initiative.”  It adds that it is a $70 billion initiative, a figure much larger than I’ve seen elsewhere.

Someone, please give me a good reason why the US military needs to be involved in formulating African electrification policies?  It is even more disturbing that the event is not for attribution.  We’ve got the State Department convening the head of the Power Africa Initiative, Andrew Herscowitz and several private sector players, and what they’re talking about (‘a third way of energy solutions’ apparently) is so sensitive that they’re not even willing to go on record in what is billed as “an open dialogue between energy sector stakeholders and policy makers.”  No wonder the US couldn’t find an African location for AFRICOM.

How has this sort of work not been the victim of sequestration?  This seems to me to be a splendid example of DoD receiving resources at the expense of State and  more legitimate US public diplomacy.

I deign to call this BS, the same sort of BS that has me blogging quasi-anonymously as the government funded operation I work for has policies on blogging (writing in general really) that eviscerate my freedom of expression.

What are your thoughts?  Am I overreacting?  Does the TIDES project indicate some legitimate longstanding interest of DoD in Africa’s energy sector?