The upcoming elections in the United States will determine the nature of interactions between this leading global power and African countries.

But with just four days until Election Day, the two main candidates — Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican former President Donald Trump — have yet to outline any specific multilateral or economic strategy for Africa. Therefore, we need to look at their past actions to get an idea of ​​their future plans for interaction with the African continent.

At the start of his four-year presidency in January 2017, Trump reinstated and expanded the Global Conversation Rule, also known as the “Mexico City policy,” which imposed restrictions on $8.8 billion in U.S. foreign aid for international health programs. Organizations that provide or advocate abortion services.

It also cut funding to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), a worldwide organization dedicated to maternal health that provides birth control and pregnancy care to low-income women in 150 countries. Collectively, these actions posed a significant risk to the availability of sexual and reproductive health services in vulnerable communities in Africa.

In November 2020, Trump withdrew the United States from the Paris Agreement, an agreement aimed at improving the global response to climate change challenges and regulating temperature increases.

If Trump wins on November 5, the United States may once again withdraw from the Paris Agreement. Such a move would greatly disrupt universal efforts to combat climate change and increase the vulnerability of African nations to extreme weather events.

But Trump’s presidency was not entirely negative for Africa.

On the economic front, the Trump administration has improved trade opportunities between the United States and African countries through the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). Established in 2000, AGOA allows Sub-Saharan African countries to gain duty-free access to the U.S. market for more than 1,800 products, as well as more than 5,000 products eligible under the Generalized System of Preferences program.

In 2022, South Africa stood out as the biggest beneficiary of this trade arrangement, with exports to the US worth approximately R65bn (approximately $3.6bn).

To complement AGOA, the Trump administration launched Prosper Africa, a government program aimed at facilitating trade between the United States and African businesses, on December 13, 2018. Beyond its economic ramifications, Prosper Africa represented a strategic effort to counter China’s largely successful Belt and Road Initiative and the ever-expanding Russian influence in Africa.

Meanwhile, between 2017 and 2021, the Trump administration has pledged $7 billion to $8 billion in annual aid to African countries; The purpose of this aid was to facilitate the progress of these nations toward self-sufficiency while primarily supporting U.S. interests.

When President Joe Biden and Vice President Harris took office on January 20, 2021, they moved to either eliminate or renew a number of policies enacted by the Trump administration. They immediately revoked the Global Speech Rule that day. Eight days later, on January 28, U.S. participation in the Paris Agreement was restored.

Then, in a momentous development, the Biden-Harris administration announced the Prosper Africa Building Together Campaign on July 27, 2021, effectively relaunching the Prosper Africa plan with a focus on energy, climate solutions, healthcare, and digital technology.

Then in December 2023, the White House announced the successful completion of 547 new agreements on bilateral trade and investment between the United States and African countries, worth approximately $14.2 billion. This achievement reflected a 67 percent increase in both the number and value of deals closed in 2022.

Africa’s prosperity is expected to continue no matter who the next president is.

During its four years in office, the Trump administration has prioritized a limited relationship with Africa, consistent with its America First principles. On the contrary, the next administration took a more welcoming approach, seemingly recognizing the critical role of African nations as key partners.

In this regard, the Biden-Harris administration announced a new strategy for Sub-Saharan Africa in August 2022 and then held the US-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington DC on December 13-15, 2022, with the participation of 49 African leaders. .

At the second event, Biden expressed his strong commitment to future collaborations, saying: “The United States is all in Africa and all in Africa.” He also underlined that his country “fully supports reforming the UN Security Council to include permanent African representation.”

The Biden-Harris administration also supported AGOA to increase trade. It was also actively pursuing bilateral agreements with selected African countries. On May 23, Biden and Kenyan President William Ruto announced a framework to tackle the country’s debt problems, along with a series of investments focused on the production of green energy, education and healthcare.

Unfortunately, AGOA is scheduled to conclude in September 2025.

Many African countries, including Tanzania, Kenya and South Africa, want the contract to be renewed for at least ten years.

Biden largely agrees with this view.

On July 23, he called on the U.S. Congress to “quickly reauthorize and modernize this landmark Act” that forms “the foundation of America’s economic partnership with African countries.” There is reason to believe that current Vice President Harris will assume a similar position as president.

Trump, meanwhile, has made clear his intention to embrace economic nationalism and hinted that he could potentially refrain from renewing AGOA.

Speaking at a campaign rally in Savannah, Georgia, on September 25, he affirmed his commitment to implementing what he called a “New American Industrialism” and “bringing thousands and thousands of businesses and trillions of dollars of wealth back to the good old USA.” .

In fact, Trump has been extremely outspoken in his commitment to his aggressive America First agenda, unlike Biden and Harris, who have opted for a more international approach, especially on Africa.

Biden, who was scheduled to visit Angola in early December, just weeks before leaving office, did not make any official visits to Africa, despite the assurances he gave at the US-Africa Leaders Summit in December 2022.

He has not organized meaningful trips to Africa, developed partnerships, or implemented the reforms needed to provide conclusive evidence of the United States’ unwavering commitment to Africa and its alignment with the continent’s enlightened goals.

Therefore, his administration’s highly praised proposal to give African countries two permanent seats on the UN Security Council, albeit without veto powers, would represent only a symbolic and ineffective change. Former African Union diplomat Arikana Chihombori-Quao called the proposal “an insult”.

Therefore, if she wins on November 5, Harris will need to move beyond mere rhetoric and support adding two permanent seats on the UN Security Council, with equal veto rights for African countries.

His administration must treat its official relations with African countries with the seriousness it deserves, thus placing Africa’s representation and representation at the forefront of the international agenda.

Africans in particular need to have a greater and equal say in multilateral institutions such as the UN Security Council, the World Trade Organization, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

To effectively leverage Africa’s contributions, leadership and innovation in tackling global challenges, Harris will need to undertake regular state visits to various African countries. Indeed, unlike Biden, Africa needs to strive beyond superficial efforts to transform its place and responsibilities in the current largely US-led world order.

Although the administration to which it belongs for the last four years has not fulfilled its stated obligations, it can still be considered progressive in a very limited or imperial context.

Trump is a foul-mouthed, unstable and racist politician with an inward-looking agenda. It cannot and will not deliver to Africa.

On the other hand, President Kamala Harris can offer opportunities for inclusive and productive cooperation with Africa. However, unlike his current boss Biden, he needs to make sure that he keeps his promises to African countries.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial stance of Al Jazeera.