Wrapping up Obama in Africa

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Africa is a Country, Africa Society, Africa trade, Barack Obama Africa, Bernadette Paolo, Beyonce Africa, Rosa Whitaker, Whitaker Group

Yesterday, I noticed two opinion pieces discussing Obama’s recent Africa trip on AllAfrica.com from DC-based Africanist luminaries.

Bernadette Paolo of the Africa Society states that “President Barack Obama has made a profound and impactful visit to Africa.”

Conversely, Rosa Whitaker, who heads a leading Africa-focused consulting firm that bears her name, proclaims that Obama’s trade announcements amount to “little more than a repackaging of policies established by President Bill Clinton and expanded by President George W. Bush.”

I tend to agree with this slightly more rigorous view.  As I noted previously, all of the countries that Obama visited have also been visited by George W. Bush.  Obama’s new engagement is encouraging.  However, I don’t think that by merely using the word ‘partner’ as noted by Ms. Paolo, there is a “paradigm shift…clearly evident.”

And what about when Africa heads of state come to DC?  As Africa is a Country tells us, “it’s like meeting Beyonce, but you get to call it a state visit.”

Congress Honors Itself for a Job Well done with AGOA

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AGOA, Karen Bass, Rosa Whitaker, Stephen Hayes, Steve McDonald

I have previously voiced my skepticism of the trade agreement AGOA, which is often celebrated in US – Africa circles as one of this country’s biggest achievements in Africa.  This self-praise continued on April 25, as a range of public and private sector luminaries gathered (I was not among them) for an event in the Library of Congress on “Looking back at AGOA’s history to inform its future.”

An e-mail from Representative Karen Bass on the event lauds “our nation’s lead trade arrangement with African nations, [which has] helped create hundreds of thousands of jobs develop and strengthen new business sectors and lift million out of poverty.”  As a student in Namibia, I can recall touring a Korean owned apparel factory that had recently opened as a result of AGOA.  I mostly recall seeing a lot of not very happy looking women and a very cold building.

The Ambassador of Mauritius, the head of the Wilson Center’s Africa Program, the President of the Corporate Council on Africa, and the President of the Whitaker Group were featured speakers.

A Flickr photo album of the event is available here.