Obama and family in Ghana                        Photo courtesy

The African continent went literally ablaze when Barack H. Obama the first African-American, was elected president of the USA. His election was seen as a dream actualized for Africa. Has this dream been actualized?

Mr. Obama has been the most honest brother and foreign leader that Africa has produced and actually meant well when he told [we] Africans that our future lies in our hands. There is nothing we can expect more from Obama because the American political institution is built on a strong normative foundation, thus no matter who is president, the foreign policy remains tailored according to their strategic needs.

One of Africa’s prominent literary scholars Chinua Achebe once opined in his use of African proverbs that ‘A chick that will grow into a cock can be spotted the very day it is hatched.’ I am inclined to use it as the base of the hypothesis of this piece that our much trumpeted optimism with the election of one of us (well partial African) as president of the world’s most powerful, was a sign of relief for the continent especially amidst Western and Asian exploitation of our resources and politicians. ‘Independent’ as we may be, we have continued to see foreign powers dominant in dictating our affairs simply because we are tagged as poor or heavily indebted countries. Exactly four years ago, we woke up from centuries of predicted dream to see the realization of that dream when Barack H. Obama was elected President of the USA.

When ‘Obama’ was elected president, very high hopes of socio-economic as well as political development were expressed for Africa. Blacks the world over celebrated his victory. During his campaign trails, the dynamic and fire-brand African outlined flowery priorities for Africa such as stopping conflicts in Africa (such as the genocide in Darfur) and  fighting poverty.

I seek to meticulously lay bare the Obama policy for Africa right from his campaign days to four years after his election and ask whether those high dreams and expectations of the African continent is been met.  Did Obama ever promise Africa anything? Was he proudly associated with the continent by the time and immediately after his election? What practical initiative has this illustrious African son done for the continent during his four year - presidency?

Nothing concrete has been benefited by Africa that can be commensurate to its high expectations. Perhaps, we still need to keep our dreams high and hope that with a second term, things might improve.

The Obama administration, mindful of the fact that all eyes will be on him after his 2008 election, outlined key foreign policy objectives for Africa. In the first place and to demonstrate the US’s resolve to promote the liberal political order, a core foreign power objective for Africa was the strengthening of African governments that are democratic. Obama pledged to work with ‘democratic’ African governments by capacitating weak democratic institutions and protecting the democratic gains. The ultimate question remains: What has been achieved in this direction? Is Obama going to deliberately close his eyes to the democratic flaws and challenges that elections have caused Kenya, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Niger, Cameroon, Nigeria, Uganda and Madagascar?

Taking just the so-called Ghana and South Africa case studies as successful democratic states is never representative of Africa, or is Mr. Obama simply suggesting that he can do business only with this minority? Where then is the resolve to work with Africa in promoting democracy? I was thinking that as our fellow native, and realizing that our continent still has a long way to go in totally embracing so-called American democracy, that Mr. Obama will implore a policy of engagement with African states and leaders struggling with democracy, rather than ignoring them.

Economic growth is the second most important Obama policy for Africa, a policy by which he seeks to work alongside countries to promote and advance sustained economic development. What an irony! On the political front, Obama is not ready to work with non-democracies yet he places no restrictions on her economic romance. Save for Botswana, Ghana, Tanzania, Mauritius, and South Africa, almost all the other countries rich in resources like oil, Diamond and Iron, among others, have democratic challenges but USA has no economic relationship problems with them. The competition with China for these resources has reached fever pitch.

Realizing that Africa has abundant natural resources but it is still poor and unable to feed itself, Obama promised the revitalization of Africa’s agricultural sector with a focus on reducing hunger, poverty and mal-nutrition. Does the recent food crisis in Somalia and other parts of Africa makes any sense amidst these policy prescriptions by the Obama administration? The worst economic insult which I thought Obama would address is the issue of AGOA. This entity was established to help African goods and markets grow without any boundary, be they local or international. If not for the intervention of China that is equally exploiting Africa using a soft power approach, which significant growth and/or opportunity has Africa benefited in her AGOA partnership with the USA?

Barely two decades after independence, sovereign African countries had to put up with civil conflicts, most of which occurred as a result of a breakdown in instituting imported democracy. Realising this as a major vice undermining Africa’s growth, the Obama administration outlined a robust foreign policy aimed at mitigating or solving conflicts in Africa. This approach can never solve Africa’s crisis if sincere efforts are not outlined aimed at addressing the causes of these conflicts.

It is actually the failure of democracy that has caused most of Africa’s deadly wars. Sustainable peace can never be built by focusing on ending conflicts without addressing its root causes. Sadly though, we have seen USA solidly behind democracy by force as seen in Libya, Egypt, Tunisia and now in Zambia, Ivory Coast and Guinea.This approach is a recipe for chaos.

African-American brothers in USA claim that the US government has failed them employment. What were these brothers of ours in the USA expecting? Preferential treatment because they are Africans? Can Obama singularly change this status quo? Have we forgotten the story of President J.F Kennedy when he wanted to fight the status-quo?

It would be unfair to holistically blame Obama for doing little or nothing for Africa during his first four years as president. There is and will be no difference at all between Obama and the Bush administration as far foreign policy objectives for Africa are concerned. Take for example the relationship between the USA and Zimbabwe where the George Bush sanction against Mugabe continue. The story is the same in Somalia, Sudan and DR Congo where policies like those of Bush Republicans (to undermine and overthrow any African government that does not bow to Washington’s will and to embark on effectively dismantling of inconvenient African states) continue. The reason for this is simple. America’s political system is an entrenched normative institution that can hardly change irrespective of who is in the driving seat as president.

During his first visit to Africa as president, Obama told Africa that the continent need not rely on anybody for its growth but itself. His visit to Ghana was to relay this message to us, that in this 21st century, Africa need not continue blaming the West or former colonial masters for its continued backwardness but rather take charge of its own destiny. If Obama’s message in Ghana were said by any other non-African European leader, African leaders would have wasted no time in labeling such message as racist, but rather Obama, a fellow African can look into his brothers eyes and tell them what is lacking and needed. Why can’t we be grateful for once to Obama for redirecting our hopes?

Let us therefore wake up from our dream and face the harsh reality that we can only develop if we take the lead ourselves and desist from been overreliant on others. Let us re-organize our various institutions in promoting acceptable forms of governance and dust off vices like corruption and dictatorial tendencies. Let us carve our future in an acceptable African normative manner and not basically replicating Western models. Let’s keep our hopes high and support Obama for a second term whiles at the same time be mindful that he cannot meet our high expectations immediately.

Wake up dear Africans to the realities of life…Obama can’t chew more than he can bite.

By Patrick Brima Kapuwa.

Institute of International Studies, Jilin University China.