Africa Center Nonresident Senior Fellow Aubrey Hruby cowrites for US News and World Report on how President Obama’s visit to Africa will cement enduring US commercial relations with the continent:
As President Barack Obama visits Kenya and Ethiopia this week, media coverage has fallen predominately into one of two categories: the return of a native son or the threat of terrorism in East Africa.
This is not completely unexpected. The trip will be Obama’s first as president to his father’s homeland, and Kenya does face security challenges related to Al Shabaab in neighboring Somalia. Still, press coverage so far seems to be missing a core theme of the president’s trip: trade, investment and enterprise. Obama’s most visible commitment is attending the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Nairobi, which has attracted 200 American investors, including Shark Tank’s Daymond John and AirBnB’s Brian Chesksy, who will interact with Africa’s future business leaders.