Harris or Trump – what do the US presidential candidates offer Africa?

Regardless of who wins the coming US presidential election, it is unlikely to change much for African countries, experts say

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Published: 6:00am, 20 Oct 2024Updated: 8:47am, 20 Oct 2024

The presidential race between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris comes at a time of rising geopolitical tensions on multiple fronts. As part of an in-depth series, Jevans Nyabiage takes a look at whether Africa is expecting a president with African heritage to benefit the continent.

Wiping away tears, US Vice-President Kamala Harris walked around Cape Coast Castle on a visit to Ghana last year. The centuries-old fort has a tortured history as a holding prison for slaves before they were forced onto ships to sail to the Americas.

“The horror of what happened here must always be remembered,” Harris said during the emotional tour. “History must be learned.”

Across hundreds of years, African people were kidnapped, tortured, starved and crowded onto ships at Cape Coast Castle for the long and dangerous ocean voyage to the Americas and the Caribbean.

Harris, the daughter of an Indian-born mother and a Jamaican-born father, used the visit to speak of her connection to the African continent – also talking about her time as a young girl visiting Zambian capital Lusaka, where her grandfather lived.

“Because of this history, this continent, of course, has a special significance for me personally as the first black vice-president of the United States of America,” she said.

While Harris’ black heritage may be winning over African-American voters in the race with former president Donald Trump for the White House, any hope that her potential win would also see drastic change in US policy towards the African continent is a matter for debate, according to observers.

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