This past week the continent of
Africa was agog for the visit of an illustrious son of the soil, most
especially the East African nation of Kenya. President Barrack Obama concluded
what could as well be regarded as his last lap of African tour, with visits to
Ethiopia and Kenya respectively. After previously visiting Ghana, Senegal, Egypt,
South-Africa and Tanzania, when he was elected as the first black US president
in 2008, a wave of “Obamamania” swept the continent. He visited Egypt and Ghana
in 2009 to call for democratization in Africa and the Middle East, noting that
Washington would support “strong institutions and not strongmen”. But by the
time Obama visited South Africa, Senegal and Tanzania in 2013, the dream had
worn off, and the unrealistic expectation that the US president would transform
American policy towards Africa had not even come close to being fulfilled, but
with this visit to East Africa the dream seems to be awaken again.
After a globally proclaimed and acknowledged
triumphant entry and exist of President Barrack Obama to Kenya and Ethiopia, it
is time to examine impact assessment of this historic visit to both
East-African countries. In the wake of this recent events unfolding in which
most African Nations are beginning to pitch their tent with the Eastern-bloc
and the communist country of China, most of which are considered as ”American’s
foe”. The major strength and prospect of Obama’s historic visit was the
restoration of close ties with the African continent, also on the part of Africa;
the visit has helped to restore African’s dignity by re-positioning her back on
the world map of the committee of nations. Needless to say that Obama is
heading to Kenya – the birthplace of his father – this week, his first visit to
his ancestral home during his presidency. But coming at the tail end of his
second term, the trip is the ultimate show of the symbolic, rather than
substantive, approach that has characterized Obama’s engagement with Africa.
The visit also afforded Kenya the opportunity to sell herself as a potential
business haven, considering the fact that the 6th Global Entrepreneurship
Summit that she hosted open the doors to alot of investors both within and
outside Africa.
One major weakness of the historic
visit is that, Africa at large becomes open to the foreign values and cultures,
prominent among these is, the culture of “same-sex marriage”. Though, little
traces of this “alien” culture is already been felt in some parts of Africa, it
is also refreshing to note that the president of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta,
unapologetically rejected the offer when presented to him on a platter of gold.
However, it remains quite unclear how other African leaders would deal with the
introduction of this “alien culture”.
There seems to be abundant
opportunities inherent in this visit for the countries of Kenya and Ethiopia.
As it is known that Africa possess a lot of untapped economic potentials, elements
that Kenya and Ethiopia could exploit to her advantages includes; strengthening
of bi-lateral agreements and deals, commerce and trade business between America
and both countries could as be re-adjusted for the benefit of both parties and
not just a single-party. Also, air-space agreement would generate into
direct-flight routes most especially between Kenya and USA could also be
exploited so as to ensure quicker deals. Just as it was rightly noted by
President Barrack Obama at the AU headquarters in Ethiopia, ‘Africa’s natural resources.
Real economic partnerships have to be a good deal for Africa-they have to
create jobs and capacity for Africans. That is the kind of partnership America
offers’. A lot of opportunities are embedded in this visit for Africa only if
she can make some amends to her economic sector.
Having highlighted the above opportunities, it is not out of place to examine the threats;
elements in the environment that could cause trouble for the businesses and
projects that this visit birth. One major inflicting threat to Africa, most
especially to both East-African Nations, remains insecurity, typified in
terrorism.Kenya has been one of the most affected countries by terrorist ,
al-shabaab has continually wrecked havoc in this country, killing lives and
destroying properties. One may not be quick to forget in ahaste the terrorist
attack on the Westgate Shopping Mall in September2013, where lives were lost.
Ethiopia is also not exempted from the barrage of terrorist attacks from
“al-shabaab”. Also, corruption which remains ‘a clog in the wheel of progress”
has made Africa it abode. Just as Obama specifically noted “Nothing will unlock
African’s economic potential more than ending the cancer of corruption.”
by
Akintayo Joshua
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