Washington - (AFP) - US President Joe Biden announced Thursday his support for a greater African role in the international arena, and pledged that the United States would not hesitate to encourage democracy.

"The United States is fully committed to and with Africa," Biden told about 50 African leaders meeting in Washington for a three-day summit that ends Thursday.

After calling in September for a permanent African seat on the United Nations Security Council, the US president endorsed granting the African Union permanent membership in the G20 and revealed that he plans to visit countries in sub-Saharan Africa, the first for an American president since 2015.

"We'll see you all, and you'll see us often," Biden said, without announcing a specific date or destination for his trip.

The day before, he had invited African leaders to a dinner at the White House, with the African Union first arriving on the red carpet at the first summit of its kind since Barack Obama launched a similar initiative in 2014.

Former US President Donald Trump did not hide his lack of interest in Africa, while China, which the United States considers its biggest global competitor, has become a major player in the continent through major investments in recent years.

During the summit, the United States announced the allocation of $55 billion in investments in projects on the continent over the next three years, including investments in green energy, training health workers and modernizing internet networks.

The private sector also pledged $15 billion in investments, particularly in the digital technology sector.
In contrast to China, which does not mind dealing with all African regimes, the United States was keen to emphasize democracy, although Biden called for leaders seen as authoritarian.

"The United States will always lead by its values," the US president told African leaders.

And he added, "Supporting democracy, respecting the rule of law, adhering to human rights and responsible governance are all part of our being."

Biden announced $100 million in support for the security sector, but also revealed that Washington would invest $75 million to counter "democratic backsliding," including by strengthening election bodies and civil society.

On Wednesday, the leaders of six African countries holding elections next year, including Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the largest countries in sub-Saharan Africa in terms of population and area, respectively, met to seek promises that the elections would be free and fair.

Mark Green, a former member of Congress and head of the US Agency for International Development, said the United States is focused on building self-reliance in Africa, while China is looking to "strengthen aid dependency."

"If Chinese investment in Africa leads to greater self-reliance, someone in Beijing is going to lose his or her job," said Green, who currently heads the Wilson Center.

China denies US accusations that it is laying a "debt trap" for developing countries, and in turn called on Washington not to view Africa from the perspective of geopolitical competition.

For his part, Senegalese President Macky Sall, who currently heads the African Union, welcomed the United States' support for the institution and expressed his appreciation for the Biden summit.

But he called on Washington to end longstanding sanctions on Zimbabwe, and expressed concern about a bill in the US Congress that would sanction African countries for their dealings with Russia.

"This will be the first time in international relations that an entire continent has been targeted," Sall told his US counterpart before the leaders.

Later Thursday, Joe Biden will chair a session on food security at a time when his administration emphasizes US aid and points fingers at Russia for the sharp rise in global prices that contributed to the spread of hunger, especially in the drought-stricken Horn of Africa.

In February, Russia attacked Ukraine, both of which are major exporters of grain to developing countries.

Russia sought to mobilize African public opinion by blaming the rise in food prices for Western sanctions imposed on it because of the war.