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Obama Hosts U.S.-Africa Summit
President Barack Obama kicks off the first U.S.-Africa Summit on Monday (Guardian),
convening nearly fifty heads of state and government to Washington, DC
for a three-day conference the White House has billed as an elevation of
its engagement with the continent. The agenda is heavily focused on
business and trade, although the Ebola outbreak has forced the
presidents of Liberia and Sierra Leone to withdraw in order to address the crisis (AP).
The summit comes after the International Monetary Fund warned that
economic mismanagement risked "spoiling" rising growth and better
governance on the continent (FT).
Analysis
"China has moved ahead of the United States in treating Africa as a strategic continent, directing significant investments of time as well as resources.
The summit is well timed for the United States in continuing to
position us as a leader on the continent," says Jendayi Frazer in a CFR
interview.
"Balancing idealism and commerce will be a theme at the summit.
In Washington, support for Africa draws on a curious coalition,
spanning conservative members of Congress, often linked to Christian
groups active on the continent, leftist Democrats interested in
development and pro-business moderates from both parties," writes The Economist.
"America
should now embrace a science-led agenda in Africa by partnering
American institutions of higher education, scientific research centers
and technological entrepreneurs with African countries to help them
bolster economic growth and reduce dependency on foreign aid," write Nkem Khumbah and Melvin P. Foote for The New York Times. | 
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