The event was opened by Nils Wörmer, Director of the RP SIPODI East Africa. He emphasised that the upcoming US election is of great importance not only for Europe, but also for Africa. The decision between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump as the next president could have a significant impact on the foreign policy of the United States. For decades, US foreign policy towards East Africa has been characterised by strategic interests, economic cooperation, security and humanitarian development goals. The different approaches under a potential Trump II administration or an administration under Harris could vary significantly.
Gregory Meyer, Project Manager of RP SIPODI East Africa, moderated the panel discussion with the participants Raymond Mujuni, Deputy Director of the African Institute for Investigative Journalism, Dr Hassan Khannenje, Director of the HORN International Institute for Strategic Studies and Adane Alemayehu Tadesse, Lecturer at the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Addis Ababa University. The panellists opened with brief introductions in which they emphasised that the different presidential candidates could take different approaches to dealing with the competition on the African continent between the USA, Russia and China. Depending on who wins the election, US efforts to contain Russia and China in Sub-Saharan Africa could diminish. If re-elected, Donald Trump would presumably focus more on the conflict in Gaza and less on the conflicts in African states. In addition, Africa would be affected by the trade restrictions announced under Trump and investments on the continent could probably be reduced. Another indirect effect could be that the political alignment with Europe also has consequences for Africa. Under a Trump administration, cooperation within NATO could be reduced, which would put pressure on Europe and could further limit its ability to engage in Africa. The Trump administration would likely focus more on bilateral economic engagements, while the Harris administration would focus on humanitarian aid and development cooperation. However, there was disagreement among experts as to whether US foreign policy towards Africa would take a different direction depending on the outcome of the election. Some believed that only under Trump support measures for Africa would diminish, while Harris would continue the course of the Biden-Harris administration. Others, however, argued that a decline in engagement for Africa is likely under both presidencies.
The short presentations by the three panellists were followed by two discussion rounds with the attendees of the event. Afterwards, Nils Wörmer invited the participants to continue the discussions over dinner.
About this series
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