Sub-Saharan Africa - Obama Presidency Oral History

Of the administration’s policy priorities, peacekeeping, atrocity prevention, and conflict resolution demanded the most urgent attention after Obama’s first inauguration in 2009. In early 2009, the Sudanese government expelled humanitarian relief organizations from Darfur, where mass atrocities and crimes against humanity had been occurring since 2003. In response, and as one of his first diplomatic appointments, Obama named a special envoy to Sudan, who worked to halt state-sponsored violence in the region, and was closely involved in the independence referendum process that culminated in the establishment of South Sudan in 2011. In their oral history interviews, national security and diplomatic officials discuss their work in Sudan; describe anti-piracy initiatives focused on the Somali peninsula; and reflect on relations between the US armed forces, multilateral African institutions, and African militaries. The administration’s policy toward insurgent and extremist groups, including Boko Haram in Nigeria and al-Shabaab in east Africa, is discussed in greater detail on the Counterterrorism topic page. 

“So many Africans have told me, we don’t want just aid, we want trade,” Obama told the African Union in 2015, “We don’t want patrons, we want partners who help us build.” Accordingly, the Obama administration sought to increase and diversify economic ties between the United States and sub-Saharan Africa. In 2015, Obama signed a ten-year extension of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which allowed many sub-Saharan countries to export manufactured goods to the American market without paying border duties. The administration also convened government and corporate representatives at annual AGOA trade summits, established a President’s Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa, and led a series of high-profile trade missions to Africa. Beyond these multilateral initiatives, the administration’s most ambitious economic development program was Power Africa, which Obama announced in 2013 to bring power to the more than 500 million sub-Saharan Africans without reliable access to electricity. The program was structured as a private-public partnership, and over the next several years mobilized tens of billions of dollars toward the construction of utility-scale electricity generation and transmission infrastructure and innovative small-grid solutions. In their oral histories, government officials speak widely about Power Africa, AGOA, and other economic development initiatives, and situate them in the context of increased Chinese investment in Africa.

For countries to be eligible for American development programs, they typically needed to demonstrate their commitment to democratic institutions, traditions, and values. In his public comments, Obama spoke passionately about the importance of free and fair elections, strong and independent public institutions, and open political cultures, which he captured with the refrain that “Africa doesn’t need strongmen; it needs strong institutions.” In addition to making development funding contingent on democratic commitments, US diplomatic officials worked to peacefully resolve disputed elections and contested transfers of power, and the administration launched a series of open government and good governance initiatives. These included the Open Government Partnership, the Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative, and the US-Africa Partnership on Illicit Finance. In 2014, Obama also hosted the first US-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington, welcoming representatives from 50 of Africa’s 54 countries to discussions about security, democracy, governance, and trade. 

Alongside these institutional governance initiatives, the administration also launched programs to nurture and support future generations of African civil society and corporate leaders committed to democratic principles. The most notable of these was the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), which brought young people to Washington for mentorship, immersive experiences in US institutions, and conversations with Obama and other American officials. YALI also created an online network for like-minded young Africans, and ran in-person professional development programming at four regional leadership centers in Africa. In their oral histories, officials discuss their design and management of YALI, while program participants reflect on its impact on their lives. 

Throughout the Obama years, US government agencies delivered humanitarian assistance to many African countries, and the White House acted to redress both chronic public health issues and urgent infectious disease crises. At a summit of the G8 countries in 2009, the US government announced a multi-billion commitment to combating food insecurity in the developing world. This commitment became the administration's Feed the Future initiative, which partnered with several African countries to develop food security plans and increase deployment of cutting-edge agriculture methods and technologies. The administration also built on the Bush administration's transformative investments in HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment, increased government focus on Malaria, and launched a major response to the 2014 Ebola epidemic in West Africa. These activities are discussed further on the topic pages for Agriculture and Public Health.

Across the Obama Presidency Oral History project archive, narrators reflect on the unique reception Obama received in Africa, and discuss how he leveraged his stature diplomatically. They share memories of his notable speeches, and consider the importance of his strong rhetorical defenses of social, economic, and politically equality for women, and LGBTQ rights.