Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za

2-minute read
28 March 2023 | 17:56 CAT

Image: Al-Jazeera

On Sunday, Vice President Kamala Harris arrived in Akra, Ghana, kicking off her week-long trip on the continent. Harris is the first black woman US Vice President to make her first trip to Africa whilst in office.

Harris’s trip, which includes visits to Tanzania and Zambia, is the latest in a series of tours by senior US government figures as Washington seeks to improve ties with the continent.

Earlier this month, Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Ethiopia and Niger, where he announced $150 million in humanitarian aid for Africa’s Sahel region.

Whilst on her trip, Harris said she wants to promote increasing investments, the economic empowerment of women, girls and young business people, digital inclusion and food security in light of the mounting challenges from climate change.

China has invested heavily in Africa in the last two decades, particularly in infrastructure, mining, timber and fishing. Meanwhile, Russian private military contractor Wagner Group provides security assistance in several countries.

Former American diplomat and associate editor at The Daily Maverick, Brooks Spector, told Radio Islam International said the competition between the US and China can be positive in many ways.

“It can be positive in the sense that Africans States, countries and people get a larger range of possibilities and opportunities to build their own societies,” he says.

Meanwhile, Ghana defaulted on most of its $29 billion external debt last year as interest payments and inflation soared. It must still negotiate a resolution with its private international bondholders and bilateral creditors.

China is Ghana’s biggest bilateral creditor, with about $1.9 billion of debt. Ghana’s finance ministry expected to secure financing assurances “very soon” following meetings in China last week.

Listen to the full interview with presenter Annisa Essack and her guest Brooks Spector on Radio Islam’s podcast.