The Biden administration is convening a United States-Africa summit in Washington this week after having announced a new strategy for the continent in the summer. Now comes the hard part: restoring lost trust and credibility in their relationship which suffered terribly under the Trump administration.The new scramble for Africa is part of President Joe Biden’s effort to shore up dwindling American influence in various parts of the world from Latin America to the Indo-Pacific through Africa and the Middle East, where other powers, notably its nemesis, China, are making considerable inroads, economically and strategically.Beijing’s success in Africa has been of particular annoyance to Washington. During the past 20 years, China has grown its influence on the continent at the expense of all Western powers, including the former colonial powers, Britain and France. The latter’s neocolonial project, Francafrique, has also suffered setbacks in recent years in Mali, the Central African Republic and the broader Sahel region because of Russia strengthening its presence. Other countries such as Togo, Gabon and Rwanda — once a part of the French sphere of influence — have chosen to align themselves more with Britain or China in recent years.
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