Kamala Harris Africa trip: Can US charm offensive woo continent from China?

First it was the US caput of authorities who went connected a travel to Africa, present it is the vice-president and aboriginal successful the twelvemonth the president himself is expected to come.

This flurry of visits by apical figures successful the US medication reflects a increasing consciousness that the US needs to deepen its engagement with the continent.

This each comes successful the look of increasing contention from different planetary powers, particularly China and Russia.

Vice-President Kamala Harris started her nine-day travel successful Ghana connected Sunday, wherever she was greeted by drummers and dancers astatine Kotoko International Airport. She volition aboriginal spell to Tanzania and Zambia.

Ghana, with its absorption connected strengthening ties with the African diaspora arsenic good arsenic a grounds of respective peaceful antiauthoritarian transfers of power, provides an perfect launchpad for Ms Harris.

Her trip, according to an authoritative statement, is intended to "build on" December's US-Africa acme successful Washington wherever President Joe Biden said the US was "all successful connected Africa's future".

But it is that future, boosted by a youthful and increasing colonisation arsenic good arsenic the continent's immense earthy resources, that person attracted a batch of different almighty nations vying for influence.

While Secretary of State Anthony Blinken's caller sojourn to Ethiopia and Niger focused connected these countries' information challenges, the vice-president's circuit volition instrumentality her to nations facing superior economical problems.

The state is seeking to restructure its indebtedness amid surging ostentation of implicit 50%. Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta has conscionable been successful Beijing starring negotiations with the Chinese government.

"So far, precise affirmative and encouraging meetings successful China," the concern curate tweeted arsenic helium expressed optimism that it would unafraid outer assurances "very soon".

It needs the assurances to unlock fiscal enactment from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

It is not wide what, if immoderate help, Ms Harris tin offer, but it volition beryllium nether unit to enactment similar a consenting spouse successful the aftermath of Mr Ofori-Atta's China visit.

Economist and prof of concern astatine the University of Ghana, Godfred Alufar Bokpin, does not deliberation the sojourn volition present "an contiguous dividend" to assistance alleviate the country's fiscal woes.

"Having China connected committee is complicated," helium said, portion noting that Ms Harris' sojourn was "a precise important" 1 for Ghana arsenic it "elevates our narration with the US to different level".

He told the BBC the involvement the US is showing successful the state and its indebtedness situation "is good" but helium is disquieted astir what helium described arsenic "unfavourable presumption of trade" with creditor nations.

Zambia finds itself successful a akin presumption to Ghana.

The copper-rich federation became the archetypal African state to default connected its indebtedness erstwhile the Covid pandemic hit.

It is successful prolonged discussions with China to restructure its indebtedness and has besides sought fiscal enactment from the IMF.

The Reuters quality bureau quotes a elder US authoritative arsenic saying Ms Harris "would sermon the champion ways for the planetary assemblage to code indebtedness challenges faced by Ghana and Zambia".

Like Prof Bokpin, Zambian expert Dr Sishuwa Sishuwa thinks China holds much power erstwhile it comes to restructuring debt. But the US wants to beryllium seen arsenic the much reliable partner.

There is simply a increasing sentiment connected the continent that Africa should person a escaped prime successful its relationships with the remainder of the world.

"Zambia sees the United States successful the aforesaid mode arsenic it sees China and Russia - a friend," Dr Sishuwa told the BBC.

"When a state turns to China, oregon Russia, oregon the US for support, this should not beryllium seen arsenic snubbing 1 large powerfulness bloc oregon the other."

He said attempts to question exclusive relationships with African countries whitethorn beryllium counterproductive and unsustainable.

This echoed South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's comments during a sojourn to Washington past twelvemonth erstwhile helium said: "We should not beryllium told by anyone who we subordinate with."

Senior US officials person told the BBC it is not their volition to archer African countries who they tin beryllium friends with.

The US has nevertheless been keen to emphasise its absorption connected ideology successful its relationships with African countries, thing the vice-president is besides expected to sermon during her visit.

President Hakainde Hichilema of Zambia is owed to co-host a virtual Summit for Democracy, on with 4 different heads of authorities including President Biden, soon earlier receiving Ms Harris successful the country.

It is 1 of the values, on with quality rights and bully governance, that the US authorities says underpins its relationships with the continent - and sets it isolated from China and Russia.

China has a non-interference argumentation successful countries' interior governmental affairs - thing that has smoothed its engagement with autocratic leaders.

And Russia's beingness successful African countries that person experienced coups precocious - Burkina Faso and Mali - has led to a souring of relations betwixt them and the West, particularly France, the erstwhile assemblage powerfulness which had maintained adjacent ties to some countries.

Russia's penetration of Ukraine has nary uncertainty fixed Western nations an added consciousness of urgency successful winning implicit much African countries. UN votes to condemn it divided African nations which accounted for fractional of each abstentions, including Tanzania which is besides connected Ms Harris' itinerary.

The US vice-president - the archetypal pistillate to clasp that presumption - volition conscionable President Samia Suluhu Hassan, her country's archetypal pistillate caput of state.

This shared acquisition of being pioneering women is creating a buzz successful Tanzania.

Many are besides touting the sojourn arsenic an endorsement of the advancement the state is making and its increasing visibility connected the planetary map.

It was not that agelong agone that Tanzania was thing of an outcast nether the presidency of John Magufuli, who was seen arsenic having autocratic tendencies, curtailing the activities of the absorption and autarkic media.

Ms Harris is the astir elder US authoritative from the Biden medication to sojourn Africa and the 5th since December's US-Africa summit.

Others person been the Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, US ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield, First Lady Jill Biden and Mr Blinken.

But with the renewed involvement comes a request from the continent to beryllium treated fairly.

Ghana's Prof Bokpin said determination was a level of scepticism astir the heightened involvement successful Africa.

"There's a content that a caller Scramble for Africa is successful play," referring to the subdivision of the continent by European nations successful the precocious 19th Century which led to decades of colonialism and exploitation.

"This engagement needs to emphasise communal respect," helium added.