Obama’s trip to Africa begins today. Like Howard French, Charles Kenny worries about China’s advantage in Africa. Kenny offers some suggestions to close the gap:
Beyond supporting expanded trade and investment links, the president should suggest how he’s going to ensure a greater movement of people from the U.S. to Africa and in the other direction. Migration has proven one of the most powerful tools for strengthening economic links between countries. Bill Easterly (PDF) points out that many of Africa’s “big hits” in nontraditional exports have been due to the personal connections of exporters who spent considerable time in other countries. For example, Andrew Rugasira, the founder of major exporter Good African Coffee, studied law and economics in London, and Harko Bhagat, the founder of the first fish exporter from Lake Victoria, studied in Canada. …
President Obama should use his trip to make clear how America will engage Africa as a dynamic economic partner while undertaking the moral imperative to support the region in overcoming the remaining—and tragic—human costs of absolute poverty. That would be a presidential journey well worth the jet fuel bill.
The Dish 