Washington, DC — The United States needs a top Africa policymaker “who has a high degree of expertise” dealing with African issues and working with Congress and key sectors of American society, a group of U.S.-based Africanists said in a letter sent today to President Biden.
To re-prioritize U.S.-African relations – “an after-thought” during the previous administration, the letter says – the signatories appeal for the appointment of an Assistant Secretary of State for Africa who is both experienced and widely respected at home and across Africa.”This is an important and consequential choice, and we hope you will select someone who embodies your vision of a stronger relationship between the United States and Africa and has the capability to implement that vision,” the letter states.
The White House has not announced selections for any of the assistant secretaries at the State Department. These officials head bureaus managing relations with all regions and policy issues. Nominations have been announced for the two deputy secretary and three of the six undersecretary posts. All of these nominees require approval by the Senate, which – for the State Department – has only confirmed Secretary Antony Blinken, along with Linda Thomas-Greenfield for the UN Ambassador, a Cabinet-level job.
The 36 letter signatories include former UN Ambassador Andrew Young, four former assistant secretaries at State and one at Commerce, eight former deputy assistant secretaries and some two dozen former U.S. ambassadors, as well as heads of U.S.-Africa focused organizations and leading scholars. The text of the letter to the President follows:
We are writing to urge you to appoint an Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs who will fulfill your vision for America. We urge you to select an individual who reflects America’s diversity, who has a high degree of expertise working on a broad range of African issues, and who has experience working with leaders in Congress, business, education and other sectors of American society.
Assistant Secretary of State for Africa is an important and consequential choice
Given the size and importance of the African continent, with its population of 1.3 billion people whose median age is eighteen, we need a leader of the Africa Bureau at the State Department who will be able to translate your vision of Building Back Better into our Africa policy. We need an individual who has stood up for democracy and human rights, has actively supported the African Growth and Opportunity Act and who has worked on health issues in Africa. We also need an Assistant Secretary for Africa who is widely known and respected by African leaders, who will be an inspiration for the continent’s youth and who will ensure that women are involved in every facet of professional life.
We are at an inflection point in U.S.-African relations – for too long a victim of neglect
Mr. President, this is an extraordinary moment in our history and we are at an inflection point in U.S.-African relations. For too long, U.S. policy toward the region has been an afterthought and a victim of neglect given other interests and crises that tend to dominate our foreign policy. The way in which the previous administration denigrated the people on the African continent is a stain on our relationship with which we will have to work hard to overcome. Yet with six of the ten fastest growing economies in the world, the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement and programs such as the Young African Leaders Initiative which has connected the American people to the best and the brightest young leaders in Africa, this is the moment that the continent needs to be a priority for the United States.
More than ever, Africa is a region of opportunity and the time for us to seize the opportunity is now.
This is the moment where we need a strong advocate of American values to represent you and the United States in our diverse relations with the continent. We need an advocate who will defend democratic governance and human rights which is supported by the vast majority of Africa’s citizens. We need someone who will advocate for American business and best practices related to labor, climate change, the environment and anti-corruption. We need a leader in the Africa Bureau who is widely respected by the African diaspora communities in the United States and who can easily work with African American leaders to broaden their engagement with their counterparts on the continent.
We need a strong advocate of American values to represent you and the United States.
This is an important and consequential choice, and we hope you will select someone who embodies your vision of a stronger relationship between the United States and Africa and has the capability to implement that vision.
We thank you in advance for making U.S.-Africa relations a priority of your Administration.
signed:
Cynthia AkuettehFormer Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Former Ambassador to Gabon and Sao Tome and Principe
Nii AkuettehFormer Executive Director, African Immigrants Caucus, Former Lecturer, George Washington University
Patricia BainePresident, Africa Society
Shirley BarnesFormer Ambassador to Madagascar
Dr. Robert BergDistinguished Fellow, The Stimson Center
Pamela E. BridgewaterFormer Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Africa, Former Ambassador to the Republic of Benin and the Republic of Ghana
Dr. Rueben BrigetyFormer Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs and Former Ambassador to the African Union
Sue BrownFormer Ambassador to Montenegro
Johnnie CarsonFormer Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Former Ambassador to Uganda, Zimbabwe and Kenya
Phil CarterFormer Ambassador to Guinea and Côte d’Ivoire, Former Deputy to the Commander for Civil Military Engagements, United States Africa Command
Herman CohenFormer Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Former Ambassador to Gambia and Senegal
Jennifer CookeInstitute for African Studies, The Elliott School for International Affairs, George Washington University
Vivian Lowery DerryckFormer Deputy Assistant Secretary for Equal Employment Opportunity and Civil Rights and former Assistant Administrator for Africa, USAID
Harriet L. Elam-ThomasFormer Ambassador to Senegal
Lauri Fitz-PegadoFormer Assistant Secretary of Commerce
Dr. Jendayi FrazerFormer Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Former Ambassador to South Africa
Irvin Hicks Sr.Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Former Ambassador to Ethiopia, Former Deputy Representative of the U.S. to the U.N. Security Council, Former Ambassador to the Seychelles
Makila JamesFormer Deputy Assistant Secretary for African Affairs, Former Ambassador to the Kingdom of Eswatini
Mosina H. JordanFormer Ambassador to the Central African Republic
Jeffrey KrillaFormer Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor
