Why the West still gains in the new Africa scramble
US President Joe Biden talks to leaders during the group photo at the US-Africa Leaders Summit on December 15, 2022 in Washington, DC. PHOTO | KEVIN DIETSCH |GETTY IMAGES |AFP
The discussions between the Biden administration and African leaders during the latest US-Africa Summit held on December 13-15 mirrors other summits between African leaders and world powers like China, Russia and the European Union.
Some people see these summits as a rehashing of the 1885 Scramble for Africa. In the Berlin Conference of 1885, European powers divided up Africa among themselves. At that conference, there were no African representatives. The scramble back then was to gain territorial control and the wealth lying underneath. Today’s scramble is more sophisticated. The ostensible aim of these summits is for mutual gain of Africa and the host nations.
