U.S. STRATEGY TOWARDS SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

The strategy outlines four objectives to advance U.S. priorities in concert with regional partners in sub-Saharan Africa during the next five years. The United States will leverage all of our diplomatic, development, and defense capabilities, as well as strengthen our trade and commercial ties, focus on digital ecosystems, and rebalance toward urban hubs, to support these objectives:

The strategy reframes the region’s importance to U.S. national security interests. The strategy represents a new approach, emphasizing and elevating the issues that will further embed Africa’s position in shaping our shared future. It resolves to press for the necessary resources and prize innovation in our efforts to strengthen vital partnerships. The United States will both address immediate crises and threats, and seek to connect short-term efforts with the longer-term imperative of bolstering Africa’s capabilities to solve global problems. The strategy’s strength lies in its determination to graduate from policies that inadvertently treat sub Saharan Africa as a world apart and have struggled to keep pace with the profound transformations across the continent and the world. The strategy calls for change because continuity is insufficient to meet the task ahead. Sub-Saharan Africa’s governments, institutions, and people will play a crucial role in solving global challenges. The continent will be home to one quarter of the world’s population by 2050 and hosts vast natural resources, including the world’s second-largest rainforest and 30 percent of the critical minerals that power our modern world. Moreover, it is situated along major sea lines of communication and trade in the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, and Gulf of Aden. The region holds three non-permanent seats in the UN Security Council, and it represents one of the largest regional voting groups (28 percent) at the UN and other multilateral bodies. Africans currently sit at the top of several of the most important international institutions, including the World Health Organization and World Trade Organization. The world is keenly aware of Africa’s importance, spurring countries to expand their political, economic, and security engagement with African states. This presents new opportunities and challenges for U.S. interests in the region. Allies and partners in Europe, the Middle East, and the Indo-Pacific increasingly regard Africa as integral to their national security, and many are committed to working with the United States to advance high-standards, values-driven, and transparent investments, as well as address political and security crises. The People’s Republic of China (PRC), by contrast, sees the region as an important arena to challenge the rules-based international order, advance its own narrow commercial and geopolitical interests, undermine transparency and openness, and weaken U.S. relations with African peoples and governments. Russia views the region as a permissive environment for parastatals and private military companies, often fomenting instability for strategic and financial benefit. Russia uses its security and economic ties, as well as disinformation, to undercut Africans’ principled opposition to Russia’s further invasion of Ukraine and related human rights abuses.

The Region By Numbers

Population: Will be 25% of the world’s population by 2050

Geography: World’s 2nd largest rainforest, 30% of critical minerals

Influence:  At 28%, is one of the largest UN voting groups

The United States is both responding to growing foreign activity and influence in sub-Saharan Africa, as well as engaging in a region undergoing significant transformations to its socioeconomic, political, and security landscape. Africa’s population is growing faster than that of any other region and will be majority urban by the end of the decade. The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), once fully implemented, would be the fifth-largest economy in the world with the potential to have a combined gross domestic product of more than $3.4 trillion. The region is influencing global entertainment, including film, fashion, literature, and music, in an unprecedented manner. These positive developments, however, have been blunted by the convergence of armed conflict and terrorism; climate change; food insecurity; and COVID-19 pandemic-induced health and economic woes that have set back 20 years of development gains and resulted in unprecedented levels of displacement and hunger. Armed conflicts and humanitarian crises in Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Nigeria, Somalia, and across the Sahel constrain sub-Saharan African countries from supporting our shared global priorities and require funding of multiple peacekeeping missions and historic levels of humanitarian assistance. Moreover, the resulting fragility provides fertile ground for expanding terrorist activity. ISIS and al-Qaida maintain a presence in many African countries, conducting attacks that have killed thousands and posing a threat to U.S. persons and interests. Despite the strong popular support in sub-Saharan Africa for democracy—some 69 percent, according to recent polling—democracy remains in short supply. A string of military coups and democratic setbacks have gripped Africa in recent years, risking further deterioration of governance and security conditions, as well as negative ripple effects on neighboring countries. In 2022, Freedom House classified only eight sub-Saharan African countries as free—the fewest since 1991. These setbacks have widened openings for undue foreign influence and reflect the growing number of governments that exploit surveillance technology, spread disinformation, leverage corruption, and perpetrate human rights violations with impunity. While democratic forces recently triumphed at the ballot box in Malawi and Zambia, autocratic leaders elsewhere retain a tight hold on power. The gap between public aspirations and closing civic space in some countries has given rise to increased volatility and a wave of protest movements.  The United States will pursue four objectives in sub-Saharan Africa—each in coordination with our allies and partners in the region and around the world, as well as with regional and global institutions. This strategy recognizes the tremendous, positive opportunities that exist to advance shared interests alongside our African partners. At the same time, we acknowledge that Africa’s potential will continue to be challenged as long as deadly conflicts divide its societies, corruption impedes economic progress, mismanagement squanders natural resources, food insecurity heightens the risk of famine and malnutrition for the most vulnerable populations, and repression stifles human rights and democratic expression.

Foster Openness and Open Societies

The United States has an abiding interest in ensuring the region remains open and accessible to all, and that governments and publics are able to make their own political choices, consistent with international obligations. Open societies are generally more inclined to work in common cause with the United States, attract greater U.S. trade and investment, pursue policies to improve conditions for their citizens, and counter harmful activities by the PRC, Russia, and other foreign actors.

• The United States will work with African governments, civil society, and publics to increase transparency and accountability, including by supporting investigative journalism, combating digital authoritarianism, and enshrining laws, reforms, and practices that promote shared democratic norms. Consistent with the first-ever U.S. Strategy on Countering Corruption, the United States—working with our African partners—will seek to improve fiscal transparency, expose corruption, and support reforms.

• The United States will increase its focus on rule of law, justice, and dignity to deepen resilience and undercut negative influences. Supporting independent judiciaries serves as a bulwark against democratic backsliding, including constraining leaders who attempt to embezzle funds, change constitutions illegally, or steal elections. An independent judiciary also provides a forum for citizens to seek redress for criminal activities, civil disputes, and human rights abuses.

• The United States will assist African countries to more transparently leverage their natural resources, including energy resources and critical minerals, for sustainable development while helping to strengthen supply chains that are diverse, open, and predictable. In addition, the United States will work closely with African and multilateral partners to address the drivers of food insecurity and boost food production to mitigate the risk o of malnutrition and famine that the UN estimates is affecting nearly 800 million Africans

Deliver Democratic and Security Dividends

The region’s commitment and capacity to renew its democracies, as well as anticipate, prevent, and address emerging and long running conflicts, can lead to more favorable outcomes for Africans and Americans. There are strong linkages between poor and exclusionary governance, high levels of corruption, human rights abuses, including sexual and gender-based violence, and insecurity, which are often exploited by terrorist groups and malign foreign actors. By simultaneously addressing these challenges and reaffirming that democracy delivers tangible benefits, the United States can offer choices to Africans as they determine their own future, limit openings for negative state and non-state actors, and obviate the need for costly interventions.

• The United States will seek to stem the recent tide of authoritarianism and military takeovers by working with allies and partners in the region to respond to democratic backsliding and human rights abuses, including through a targeted mix of positive inducements and punitive measures such as sanctions. At the same time, the United States will partner with other governments and regional bodies, including the African Union (AU), to address public dissatisfaction with the performance of some democracies, which provides a pretext for aspiring coup plotters, populist movements, and authoritarian leaders to undercut democratic values.

• The United States will support African democracies by backing civil society, including activists, workers, and reform-minded leaders; empowering marginalized groups, such as LGBTQI+ individuals; centering the voices of women and youth in reform efforts; and defending free and fair elections as necessary but insufficient components of vibrant democracies. The United States will support democratic openings and opportunities by building on the Presidential Initiative for Democratic Renewal, the Summit for Democracy, and the Year of Action.

• The United States will focus its diplomatic efforts, leverage its development programs, and use its defense tools to strengthen and enable partners to respond to the drivers of conflict across the region. We will focus on improving the capacity of African partners to advance regional stability and security by enabling more professional, capable, and accountable government security actors that can provide internal security. We also will invest in locally-led prevention and peacebuilding efforts to mitigate and address vulnerabilities, leveraging the bipartisan Global Fragility Act in coastal West Africa and in Mozambique.

• The United States will prioritize counterterrorism (CT) resources to reduce the threat from terrorist groups to the U.S. Homeland, persons, and diplomatic and military facilities, directing unilateral capability only where lawful and where the threat is most acute. We will primarily work by, with, and through African partners, in coordination with our key allies, on a bilateral and multilateral basis to achieve shared CT objectives and promote civilian led, non-kinetic approaches where possible and effective. As part of this approach, we will employ tailored programs to build the capacity of local partners’ security, intelligence, and judicial institutions to identify, disrupt, degrade, and share information on terrorists and their support networks

Advance Pandemic Recovery and Economic Opportunity

It is essential to address two of the region’s most pressing problems: the COVID-19 pandemic and its attendant economic and social consequences. These challenges have been compounded by supply chain problems and food insecurity stemming from Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine. The United States is committed to working with regional governments and international partners to build more stable and inclusive African economies. U.S. support for the region’s equitable recovery is a prerequisite to regaining Africa’s trust in U.S. global leadership, increasing U.S. trade and investment, and creating U.S. and African jobs.

• The United States will prioritize policies and programs, as well as strengthen existing partnerships, to end the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic and enhance health security. Closing critical gaps in African countries’ pandemic preparedness and response capacities is pivotal to U.S. and global health security. By July 2022, 25 percent of Africans had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, with the United States leading in providing over 200 million vaccine doses to the continent. We will continue to provide critical delivery support and activities to encourage and accelerate vaccine uptake, as well as support for the overall response to COVID-19, including diagnostics, surveillance, and training.

• The United States will build core capacities to prevent, detect, and respond to infectious disease threats; address challenges for procuring and delivering vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics; support manufacturing initiatives for vaccines and other medical countermeasures; and strengthen global supply chains to increase preparedness for the next health threat. Public-private partnerships and regional leadership, through the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and the West African Health Organization, for example, will serve as a critical backbone for U.S.-led support and interventions.

• The United States will work with African countries to promote a stronger growth trajectory and debt sustainability, including by leveraging multilateral institutions, global partners, and international initiatives, to support the region’s economic recovery. Through the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII), which the G7 committed to mobilize $600 billion globally, we will leverage and streamline financing and co-invest to deliver game-changing projects to strengthen economies, diversify supply chains, and advance U.S. and African national security. PGII will complement new and existing efforts, including Prosper Africa, Power Africa, Feed the Future, and a new initiative for digital transformation, to help close the global infrastructure gap and support resilient and dynamic economies.

• The United States will also partner with African countries to rebuild the human capital and food systems that were further weakened due to the pandemic and fallout from Russia’s war against Ukraine. The United States will strengthen efforts to address losses, prevent further declines, address vulnerabilities in household income and food security, help children—particularly girls—return to school, and prepare African youth to gain the skills and expertise to participate in a 21st century economy.

Support Conservation, Climate Adaptation, and a Just Energy Transition

Africa’s efforts to conserve and restore the continent’s ecosystems and rich natural resources— while also realizing energy access and energy security goals, diversifying its energy mix, and building sustainable supply chains—are central to tackling the global climate crisis. Although the region is responsible for extremely low emissions per capita, it stands to suffer from some of the most severe effects of climate change. As Africa’s energy demands increase to support economic growth, we will use our influence, development assistance, and financing to help African partners adapt and build resilience to climate impacts and promote mitigation strategies to achieve a sustainable and low-carbon future.

 • The United States will partner with African governments, civil society, and local communities to conserve, manage, and restore the continent’s rich natural ecosystems, which can help reduce global carbon emissions and dampen climate change impacts. We will also continue and work to expand our efforts to combat wildlife trafficking and illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing. The United States will back current and potential climate and environment champions, including through U.S. initiatives such as the U.S. Plan to Conserve Global Forests: Critical Carbon Sinks and the Central Africa Regional Program for the Environment. • The United States will work closely with countries as they determine how to best meet their specific energy needs, which include pursuing energy access and economic development goals through technologies such as energy efficiency and renewable energy, as well as gas to-power infrastructure. This work will be consistent with our overarching policies on climate and energy, addressing the development and geostrategic implications of the projects we choose to support. The United States will work with countries to support just energy transitions in line with their economic and social objectives. Finally, we will harness U.S. and African private sector investment to support the energy transition, enable energy diversification, and promote energy security, climate objectives, and economic development.

• Under the auspices of the President’s Emergency Plan for Adaptation and Resilience (PREPARE), the United States will continue to work with African governments that are acutely exposed to climate impacts and have limited adaptive capacity to respond with urgency and at scale to the priorities identified by our African partners.

• Lastly, the United States will continue pursuing public-private partnerships to sustainably develop and secure the critical minerals that will supply clean energy technologies needed to facilitate the global energy transition. The United States will encourage countries to enact necessary reforms to enable transparent and world-class investment in the region’s critical minerals sectors, while upholding human rights and complying with international environmental and social safeguards