The drums echoing: Africa’s rising clout in global trade and geopolitics

China’s Belt and Road Initiative has Africa at its heart. The West-dominated Group of Seven countered with a pledge to raise US$600 billion over five years to bolster infrastructure in developing nations, including Africa. The European Union has struck a trade agreement with Kenya. President Joe Biden hosted a summit with African leaders in December and Vice President Kamala Harris followed up with a nine-day visit to Africa in March. This growing interest in the continent did not go unnoticed by African leaders, who are taking advantage of the shift to angle for a larger role in global governance.

Senior Research Fellow Keith Rockwell surveys the confluence of factors spurring Africa's rise as a key player in global trade and geopolitics. While potential gains brought about by Great Power competition and Africa's expanding trade are immense, Rockwell cautioned that challenges remain for Africa to fully leverage on the opportunity. A stronger Africa is one of the few things that the US and China agree on these days, but it could just as well devolve into a 21st-century iteration of the Great Game in which two 19th-century empires, Russian and British, wrought havoc in Central and South Asia as they vied for control over the continent.