Simon Ateba is Chief White House Correspondent for Today News Africa covering President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, U.S. government, UN, IMF, World Bank and other financial and international institutions in Washington and New York.
Top Biden officials are traveling to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to strengthen ties with another African nation, even as the administration is raising concerns over the military takeover in Burkina Faso earlier this week.
United States Deputy National Security Advisor Daleep Singh will travel to the Democratic Republic of the Congo along with National Security Council Senior Director for Africa Dana Banks and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Amy Holman.
“The trip underscores the Biden Administration’s commitment to partnering with African nations to solve global challenges and advance shared interests,” U.S. National Security Council spokesperson Emily Horne said in a statement.
Horne said that while in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mr. Singh will meet with senior government officials to discuss areas for expanded cooperation to address the global climate and COVID-19 crises, build diverse and resilient supply chains, and create conditions for more U.S. and international investment.
From Kinshasa, Mr. Singh will travel to Berlin, Germany to take part in the first G7 Sherpa Meeting of the German 2022 G7 Presidency.
Meanwhile, the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) said in a statement on Tuesday that it is deeply concerned by recent actions in Burkina Faso and the decision of the military forces of Burkina Faso to dissolve the Government, the national assembly, and the constitution.
“We are closely monitoring the situation and its implications for the MCC-Burkina Faso partnership. We call on all parties to pursue a democratic solution while ensuring the safety and security of all Burkinabe,” the statement read.
President Joe Biden walks with National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan along the West Colonnade, Monday, October 18, 2021, on their way to the White House Situation Room. (Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz)
Biden, climate and Africa
Meanwhile, Egypt and Senegal are two African nations that will be joining United States Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry when he hosts a virtual Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate (MEF) meeting at the ministerial level on January 27, 2022, from 7:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time.
The upcoming ministerial meeting provides an opportunity for ministers to discuss the progress achieved at COP26 held in Glasgow in November 2021, priorities and challenges going forward, and ways countries can work together to accelerate their climate efforts.
The MEF includes countries representing 80 percent of global GDP, population, and greenhouse gas emissions. Other countries with critical perspectives on the climate crisis have also been invited to participate.
Participants will include ministers and other high-ranking officials from: Antigua and Barbuda (as Alliance of Small Island States Chair), Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh (as Climate Vulnerable Forum Chair), Brazil, Canada, China, Egypt (as COP27 President), the European Commission, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Marshall Islands (as the High Ambition Coalition Chair), Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal (as Least Developed Countries Chair), Turkey, United Kingdom, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and the office of the U.N. Secretary-General.