New U.S.–AU Infrastructure Working Group Could Thrive With Strong Values-Based Safeguards

(Ikechukwu Uzoma – Just Security) The announcement that U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and African Union Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf have agreed to establish a U.S.– AUC Strategic Infrastructure and Investment Working Group is, on its face, a welcome development. It signals renewed U.S. interest in engaging Africa through the African Union (AU) rather than relying predominantly on bilateral cooperation. Yet, without governance safeguards underpinned by human rights, the rule of law, and other democratic principles, such an initiative will fail to advance sustainable development and peace as envisaged. The Jan. 28 agreement suggests economic growth and trade-enabling infrastructure as the foundation of a peaceful and prosperous Africa. While this formulation is practical, it is also reductive. Africa’s core developmental challenge is not simply a lack of infrastructure. It is the failure of governance systems at national and regional levels to create predictable, rules-based, and enabling environments for growth and development. If the Strategic Infrastructure and Investment Working Group is to succeed, the United States must anchor its offerings in rules-based governance. Otherwise, the initiative risks being perceived less as a long-term development partnership and more as a short-term stunt to serve geopolitical interests. – New U.S.–AU Infrastructure Working Group Could Thrive