The Foreign Service Journal, June 2023

• Vice President Harris announced the historic creation of the President’s Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engage- ment in the United States, a vehicle to realize the commitment to strengthening cultural, social, political, and economic ties between U.S. government officials, African communities, and the diaspora in the United States. • U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Katherine Tai signed a memorandum of understanding with Secretary- General Wamkele Mene of the AfCFTA Secretariat to promote equitable, sustainable, and inclusive trade and attract further U.S. investment on the continent. • The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) announced its first-ever regional compact to the tune of $504 million with the governments of Benin and Niger, supporting regional economic integration, trade, and cross-border collaboration. At the summit, MCC also announced compact eligibility for The Gambia and Togo and threshold eligibility for Mauritania. • Not least, in an innovative and promising move, President Biden named retired Career Ambassador Johnnie Carson to be Special Presidential Representative for Summit Implementa- tion, to coordinate follow-up, including a dialogue on future summits, and ensure delivery of the deliverables. Investment and Innovation Emphasized Because the strongest demand signal we received during our consultation process concerned mobilizing the power of the American private sector to expand broad-based economic oppor- tunity in Africa, the entire second day was dedicated to the U.S.- 28 JUNE 2023 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Africa Business Forum. President Biden invited CEOs and private sector leadership frommore than 300 U.S. and African companies to catalyze investment in the critical sectors: health, infrastructure, energy, agribusiness, and digital infrastructure and access. The Department of Commerce partnered with the U.S. Cham- ber of Commerce and the Corporate Council on Africa to bring both American and African CEOs together with heads of state to make connections, finalize current deals, and spawn future busi- ness deals. President Biden announced more than $15 billion in new trade and investment deals from American companies with partners on the continent. As part of the business forum and elsewhere, the focus on innovation, the expansion of digital access and development, and the dynamic role of the African diaspora clearly spoke to important elements of an updated 21st-century partnership. Secretary Blinken hosted an “Innovators Gathering” with more than 250 young entrepreneurs, investors, diaspora celebrities, and local government officials such as actors Idris Elba, Yvonne Orji, African entrepreneur Tony Elumelu, and New York City Mayor Eric Adams, as well as virtual remarks from former Presi- dent Barack Obama, who established YALI under his tenure. The structure of the event amplified the U.S. commitment to investing in Africa’s next generation to further the innovation currently transforming the continent while harnessing the power of public-private partnerships in bolstering trade and investment opportunities. Further, with new technologies changing the way Africans live and work, President Biden announced the launch of the Digital Transformation with Africa initiative focused on building an open, interoperable, reliable, and secure internet led by African communities. As the “U.S. Strategy Toward Sub-Saharan Africa” acknowl- edges: “Our African diaspora is a source of strength. It includes African Americans, and nearly two million African immigrants who maintain close familial, social, and economic connections to the continent ... the African immigrant population is among the most educated and prosperous communities in the United States.” The African and Diaspora Young Leaders Forum, held on the first day of the summit with more than 300 diaspora members involved, reflected the commitment to strengthening the dia- logue between U.S. officials and the diaspora in the United States. The View Ahead In the few short months since the summit, there have been five U.S. government high-level trips to the continent, includ- ing Vice President Harris, First Lady Jill Biden, Secretaries Blinken and Yellen, and Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken congratulates Innovation First Place Winner Health-botics Limited of Nigeria at a reception for African innovators as part of the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 12, 2022. RONPRZYSUCHA/U.S.DEPARTMENTOFSTATE