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NAIROBI, Kenya
As U.S. President-elect Joe Biden, 77, prepares to take control of the White House in January, leaders and experts in Africa expect him to return to multilateralism, repair relations and restore aid to programs led by United Nations that feed a large section of the population on the continent.
Speaking to Anadolu Gyude Moore, a former senior official in Liberia said he looks to the restoration of development aid and the return of useful relationships that were characteristic during the Obama presidency.
Moore, a former minister, who now works as an African expert in the Washington-based think tank, the Center for Global Development, said President Donald Trump had cut aid to various UN-led programs active in Africa. .
“Every single budget that the Trump administration presented to Congress contained deep cuts to UN programs in Africa. We have also seen the Trump administration unnecessarily involve the US in the water dispute between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan in which President Trump has publicly supported Egypt, ”he said.
He hoped Biden will repair the damage that US relations have suffered with Africa under Trump’s leadership by reversing the policies that had negatively impacted many Africans.
“We can expect to see the United States halt its withdrawal from WHO and join COVAX, the global vaccine effort to make promising candidate vaccines available to poorer countries. We can expect stabilization and even hope for an increase in the US budget commitment for its programs in Africa, ”said Moore, who also served as aide to the president of Liberia.
He said that as Biden expressed the need to restore development aid to satisfy US diplomacy, this will have a positive impact on Africa.
“Unlike President Trump who has denied the existence of climate change, we can expect the Biden administration to support global efforts to curb global warming and that would have a direct impact on Africa,” he added.
The expert hoped that the Biden era meant a more substantial commitment by US government agencies in Africa.
Solve climate change
Frederick Owino, a lecturer and environmental expert in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, expected Biden to solve the problems of climate change, ignored by Trump.
“We in Africa have been concerned about climate change and its consequences on the environment during the Trump administration. He [Trump] withdrew the United States from the climate change agreement. ”Owino said.
He said President-elect Biden has promised to address the issue and re-enter the Paris agreement on climate change.
“We are very excited that change can bring new ideas to the field of climate change,” he said.
He added that before Trump took office, the United States was engaged in efforts to mitigate climate change. But Trump has poured cold water on these kinds of schemes that put the environment at risk.
Owino recommended that in addition to re-entering the Paris Agreement, the new president should push for a push for clean energy and make financial resources available to other countries, particularly Africa to tackle climate change issues.
Noah Migambi, a Kenyan defense expert, said it was time for African countries to migrate to become partners rather than just recipients of aid.
He noted that many East African countries had silently suffered under the Trump administration.
“What Trump started doing here was very dangerous. It located Kenya and completely ignored the rest of East Africa. If you look at our trade agreements right now, we benefit more from trade with the East African community than from trade with the United States, ”Migambi said.
* Felix Tih contributed to this report from Ankara
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