On 20 January 2021, Americans and the world over witnessed the final page of the Trump presidency and the beginning of a new administration under President Joe Biden. Former President Donald Trump’s presidency is among the most consequential presidencies in Modern times. It not only highlighted how deep-seated racism was in America even after electing the first black president in Barack Obama but also highlighted that even institutions of the most powerful state in the world can be rocked by a man in the ilk of Trump. 

Trump’s outlook to make America great again (an election slogan taken from the Reagan years) sought to make the United States look inwards, receding from the global world order shaped in the very image of American values and interests. In many ways, his foreign policy like his domestic policy showed sign of Schizophrenia, where he at times viewed his allies in NATO as unbecoming, while snuggling up to Russia and North Korea in a manner that defied US foreign policy for the past 20 years. 

Moreover, Trump’s climate change denialism, saw America pull out of the Paris Accord on climate change commitments and saw American leadership as perhaps the greatest threat to mankind, overtaken by the Chinese. In many ways, America ceased to be a dependable leader in world affairs, with a president who did not worry himself about understanding the complex geopolitical challenges America and the world at large faced. 

Biden enters the presidency, with American leadership questioned by not only allies but even foes. The United States’ failure to deal with covid-19 and its withdrawal from the World Health Organisation, has denied the international community the leadership and advantages of American science in co-ordinating a strong global response to a once in a century pandemic that has seen more than 2 million deaths so far. 

However, there is light at the end of the tunnel, with Biden promising to support the COVAX vaccine facility, a return to the WHO, and reforming America’s response to the virus, this bodes well for the global response to covid-19. In the same manner, where no man is an island, no country can fight covid-19 isolated from the world. Even America with all its economic prowess needs to build partnerships around the world. A good example of this is how South African scientists were able to collaborate and share data on a new variant covid-19 with their UK counterparts to support their fight against covid-19 after UK saw a new variant of its own plus some variants of the South African variant had already crept into the UK. The exposure of new variants of covid-19 by South Africa and the UK has since seen the exposure of new variants in Brazil, Portugal, and Nigeria and we are likely to see new mutations in other countries as is the nature of viruses. 

Biden has many issues to contend with. On the one hand, he must rebuild allies, improve relations with China for the sake of the global economy’s recovery. He must continue to reach out to his partners and foes as it pertains to the Middle East peace process both from the end of the Israeli- Palestinian relations but also to get Iran to meet its 2016 commitments to limit uranium enrichment. All of this and more must be done while undoing Trump’s destructive influence on domestic affairs, where the defied amongst Americans has never been so bad since perhaps the civil war. 

The big question fellow Africans may be asking is what does Biden’s election and rise to power mean for Africa? Well to put it simply, if Trump’s personality politics meant Africa was not on the list of important issues for America to worry about, the consequence of geopolitical issues such as the pandemic, the Middle East, cold relations with China and Russia means Africa will again be a lesser concern to American interests beyond perhaps security interest in East Africa and Northern Africa for geostrategic and security interests. 

The benefits Africa can expect from America will be more indirect rather than a result of intentional intentions by the Biden administration. Funny that regardless of having elected the first African American president, it is the George W. Bush and Clinton presidencies that produced policies that have had a stronger impact on African affairs. This was done through the roll-out of ARVs to countries that were being ravaged by HIV/AIDS or even the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which would allow 6500 products from African states exported to America without tariffs. 

Africa has the youngest population and is expected in terms of population, to exceed both India and China. Given the level of economic development in Africa, the potential for economic growth and development means it is the next frontier of opportunity. However, unless African leaders leverage this potential and the fact that the multipolar world is shaping up to challenge US hegemonic influence, the Biden’s years will be another wasted term, where Africa fails to yield more fruits from its relations with Washington. In the era of the fourth industrial revolution, Africa will need all the help it can get to build the African economy of the future while meeting the needs of its people. Maybe the question is, do the current leadership in Africa have the skills and qualities to answer Africa’s most pressing questions of economic and social development?