Seeing Africa as Business Partner, Not Charity: Todd Moss and Scott Morris on Obama’s Trip to Africa

Jun 25, 2013

President Obama will visit Africa this week for the second time in five years, stopping in Senegal, South Africa, and Tanzania. Expectations that Obama would pay special attention the continent ran high upon his first election, and some development experts have been disappointed in what they regard as his administration’s relative neglect of a key economic region.

To get a sense of what this trip means for Obama’s African legacy and the expectations of his hosts, I invited CGD vice president Todd Moss and visiting fellow Scott Morris to be my guests on this week’s Wonkcast. Todd and Scott served as deputy assistant secretaries in the George Walker Bush and Obama administrations, respectively, Todd in the State Department (where he was oversaw US relations with west Africa) and Scott at Treasury (where he was responsible for the US role in multilateral institutions, including the African Development Bank). I’m eager to hear whether or not their views differ on how Obama can best build a stronger relationship with Africa.