US To Invest $800M Expand Digital Access In Africa

The US-Africa Leaders’ Summit, from December 13-15 in Washington DC, highlighted the US commitment to expanding and deepening its partnership with African countries, institutions, and people.

The Biden-Harris Administration revealed plans to invest at least $55 billion in Africa over the next three years, working closely with Congress.

“We reaffirmed our resolve to work collaboratively with African governments, businesses, and publics to strengthen people-to-people ties, ensure more inclusive and responsive global institutions, build a strong and sustainable global economy, foster new technology and innovation, strengthen health systems and prepare for the next pandemic, tackle the food security and climate crises, support democracy and human rights, and advance peace and security,” White House said in a press release to newsrooms.

At the US-Africa Business Forum, President Biden launched the DTA, a new initiative to expand digital access and literacy across the continent. Working with Congress, the White House said the new initiative intends to invest over $350 million and facilitate over $450 million in financing for Africa, in line with the African Union’s Digital Transformation Strategy.

The US-Africa Leaders Summit featured the first-ever US -Africa Space Forum. The Forum reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to collaborating with African partners on the exploration of outer space. The forum saw Nigeria and Rwanda become the first African countries to sign the Artemis Accords.

The Artemis Accords are a set of principles to guide the next phase in space exploration, reinforcing and providing for important operational implementation of key obligations in the 1967 Outer Space Treaty. The Accords affirm the importance of implementing best practices and norms of responsible behaviour as well as compliance with the Registration Convention and the Rescue and Return Agreement.