By Kwanta Douglas –
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will arrive in Nairobi on Tuesday evening to lobby for “shared global interests” with African countries.
However, it might also suggest a return to President Joe Biden’s genuine strategy for Africa, which is to push for human rights and democracy on a regular basis.
Despite the fact that his formal program for his journey to Kenya, Nigeria, and Senegal emphasizes investments in sustainable energy, climate change, Covid-19, regional security, and stability, his trip also addresses the age-old topic of democracy.
“The secretary will look to advance US-African partnerships and underscore the common values we share with Kenya, Nigeria, and Senegal and use those as platforms to really talk to the entirety of the continent but certainly the publics and leaders in those three countries,” said Mr Ervin Massinga, the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of African Affairs, at a virtual media briefing on Friday.
“Concerning human rights overall, absolutely, this issue is front and centre for our engagement across the continent, and certainly in this trip, in each one of the stops. And there will be a human rights component inbuilt into everything we’re doing.”
In Kenya, the US wants to collaborate on Nairobi’s full transition to renewable energy by 2030, and wants Nairobi to play a bigger role in helping ends the regional chaos in Ethiopia, Sudan and Somalia. Mr Blinken is also visiting at a time Africa is lagging behind in Covid-19 vaccinations amid raging conflict in the continent.
AFP
