US says “America will not dictate Africa’s choices” at Africa leaders summit
On Thursday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States had “significant success” in the U.S.- Africa Leaders Summit in achieving its goals with African leaders.
“We made significant, tangible progress across every one of our priorities this week, building on the momentum we’ve generated over the past two years,” Blinken told reporters as the summit closed out in the nation’s capital.
“America will not dictate Africa’s choices. Neither should anyone else. The right to make these choices belongs to Africans, and Africans alone. But we will work relentlessly to expand their choices,” he added.
Still, the top diplomat maintained that while he believes Washington achieved “significant success” in realizing its goals, “the ultimate judgment has to be in the days to come, the weeks to come, the months to come. Are we making good on what we said we would do?”
The three-day summit concluded with the signing of a number of multilateral agreements in Africa over the next three years, in a range of areas from space to food security, and announcing that the Biden administration will invest at least $55 billion in partnership with Congress.
Almost 49 African leaders and the head of the African Union (AU) attended the summit. Biden on Thursday threw his support behind adding the AU to the G-20, the multilateral group of global powers focused on international economic issues.
President Joe Biden reemphasized his call in September during the UN General Assembly in which he demonstrated “full support” for reforming the UN Security Council to include permanent representation for Africa.
“Africa belongs at the table in every room where global challenges are being discussed, and in every institution where discussions are taking place,” he said.
